#leading to them diving deeper and deeper into their research and making stars feel more and more alone and betrayed

[gateway-to-glimmer]

A Guide to Dream Work

Dream States

Sleep states are fun to consciously control  for various reasons. They can be used to view and analyze our memory  and sense of self in an indirect way. The feelings and ideas produced by  sleep feel profound and vivid, and can be used for creative  inspiration.

The characters and places we encounter in our dreams  are reflective of the things we have experienced and imagined. We have  dedicated systems of memory for things like our stereotypes of people  and places, as well as our relationship to our environment and to  ourselves. When we are in a dream state, we see the boundaries between  ideas contained within our memory distort and change, leading to the  experience of a world created entirely from the contents of our  knowledge and memory.

Sleep is essential for functioning. Contrary  to what one would expect, the brain is active even during sleep. When  we sleep, the brain goes through a process of regulating physical and  mental functions. Sleep is essential for memory consolidation. It is  difficult to retain and recall information that hasn’t yet been  consolidated during sleep.

There are several distinct stages of  sleep. Older psychological texts used to break these up into five stages  of sleep. Today, most researchers divide the stages of sleep into four  stages: NREM 1, NREM 2, NREM 3, and REM sleep. REM stands for rapid-eye  movement. During REM sleep, the eyes move back and forth quickly, hence  the name. NREM stands for non-rapid eye movement. In these stages of  sleep, the eyes are still, unlike in REM sleep.

Staying lucid  during the different stages of sleep is an interesting experience that  many enjoy and find thought provoking. Each stage of sleep is   experienced by the dreamer in a different way. Studies have been   conducted on participants who were woken up during the different stages of sleep and asked what their dreams were like. People who were woken up  during light sleep felt as though they had entered an immersive   daydream but hadn’t quite fallen asleep. People woken up during deep   sleep (NREM 3) reported feeling fully immersed in their mind, but that   the dream felt more thought-like and involved mundane subjects,   activities, and places. People who were woken up during REM sleep   reported vivid, surreal, and fantastical dreams.

Different  mystical traditions delineate between three distinct types of dream-work  which map onto lucid dreaming during the three stages of sleep.  Hedgecrossing occurs during NREM 1 and NREM 2 sleep. During this stage  of sleep, if the dreamer is lucid, their thoughts become random, vivid,  immersive, and contain spontaneous events that feel profound. Their  thoughts feel out of their control. Spiritual traditions use this stage  of sleep for the purpose of contacting spirits or interpreting some  aspect of their lives.

Lucid dreaming during deep sleep is  experienced as astral projection. Astral projection stereotypically  involves the perception of leaving the body and walking into the world  just outside of the self. Traditionally, the world becomes more random  and mystical as the person moves further from their body, which maps  onto the idea that the change in sleep states causes a subjectively  perceived change in experience while lucid dreaming.

Lucid  dreaming during REM sleep is what people traditionally think of when  they think of lucid dreaming. REM sleep dreams depart from the normal  laws of reality the most severely of all of the stages of sleep. Because  of this, lucid dreaming can easily be used to generate creative ideas  or to explore themes from one’s life through the vivid feelings produced  by the dream. In addition, it is possible to attain some degree of   psychological healing through dreams because of their connection to our memory, and because dream experiences feel vivid and thus their content  and our reaction to them can significantly impact us even when we are awake.

I will describe how to attain each dream state in the next  section. In a subsequent section, I will explain how spiritual  practitioners approach dream work. I will then explain how to use dream  experiences in a constructive way (such as through dream analysis,  creative inspiration, and overcoming traumas and internal conflicts  through dream role play) as an alternative psychological technique.

Hedgecrossing

Hedgecrossing refers to the state of mind  that occurs when one is lucid during light sleep. This state of mind is  useful for spiritual and psychological work. People who subscribe to a  mystical belief system may use this state of mind to contact spirits or  perform a ritual or detect something about the world. People who see  these states of mind as psychological tools may use this state of mind  to access parts of their memory - similar to using hypnotherapy  techniques.

Procedure

The general procedure for  hedgecrossing is to meditate in a comfortable position until the mind  begins to enter a sleeping state. There are certain tells that the mind  has entered such a state - the thoughts that automatically come to us  become random, nonsensical. As with all dream-based work, it is  important to try many times to attain and work with these states. It is  very easy to fall asleep or to fail to enter into a dream state at all  and this can be discouraging for many people. Hedgecrossing is the  easiest lucid dream state to attain because it takes place in the first  stage of sleep, so it is the first dream state entered. People don’t  feel as though they have left their body but they do feel like their  imagination has taken on a mind of its own and it can surprise them with  moments of insight and inspiration.

We will be creating a  specific mental place inside for each of the three lucid dream states.  Eventually, our brains come to associate this internal mental space with  the state of mind provoked by each type of dream state. Over time, as  the association becomes stronger, this helps us enter into a particular  dream state more easily.

Lay down in a comfortable place that you  ordinarily sleep in. Practicing good sleep hygiene, especially the step  where you only sleep in the room/area you sleep in so that your mind can  associate that area with sleeping, can help. Beginning at a time where  you are naturally tired and normally go to bed helps. This state is  prompted by entering the first stages of sleep, light sleep.

Clear  your mind as though you are meditating. Enter your mind’s eye and focus  solely on the experience of being inside of your imagination. Ignore  external thoughts and sensations as they come up, letting go of them and  turning back inside. You are free to develop your own set of   visualizations. The general framework for developing your own system of visualizations to distract you until you enter light sleep is, more or less, this: enter the first of your visualizations and ground yourself in your 5 senses; leave the area to a second room associated with   hedgecrossing; leave to a third room where you engage in a repetitive   (hypnotic) motion; then leave to a final room where you can walk   endlessly until you enter a hedgecrossing state/light sleep state. I   will give an example below.

Enter your mind’s eye at the foot of a  blue cliff with the opening to a black cave. Feel the blue grass  beneath your feet. Drink from a nearby pool of clear water above pastel  blue sand. Look at the deep blue sky above and listen to the wind blow  through the blue leaves coming off the black trees behind you, smelling  the cool, chilly, evening air. Enter the cave.

Enter a black room  with blue steps leading down. Blue stars line the walls of the cave,   approximating the complexity of the universe. Look at them as you   continue downwards. At the bottom of the stairs is a glowing blue number  one on the walls instead of stars. This mental state, hedgecrossing, is  associated with the star symbol as well as the color blue and the   number 1. Giving specific symbols meaning like this helps make entering this state from this mental location easier in the future. There is a   door with a large blue A glowing on it. Walk through the door, feeling   the texture of the doorknob in your hand.

Enter a room with blue  crystals and a pool of water with a waterfall. Watch the waterfall flow  endlessly into the pool of water, feeling the cool water wash over your  hands. Listen to the sound of the water flowing into the pool. Dive into  the water.

After entering the water, enter a room without water.  This area is a maze. Ankle deep water and blue crystals and stars line  the walls. Walk through the cave, taking random turns, until the area  begins to randomize and things begin to change outside of your control.  You will have entered the state informally called hedgecrossing (lucid  dreaming during light sleep) when the area and things inside of it are  partially outside of your control.

Some people find it helpful to  take a small amount of caffeine; others find this does not help at all.  Stimulants can make it easier to maintain lucidity, but also harder to  fall asleep. I have narcolepsy and I’m prescribed Ritalin and I  accidentally lucid dream on it all of the time because of this.

Uses

Soul retrieval and hypnotherapy  both force the practitioner into a trance that is similar to light   sleep or near light sleep in order to enter into and manipulate the mind  in a deeper way than is normally possible in a waking state. This   allows us to cross mental barriers, such as the barriers that keep   memories repressed, and view normally forbidden materials in our mind.   This also means that, since our emotions are more vivid, the things that  we think and the way we interact in our mind leaves a stronger   impression than is normally possible during a waking state where our   emotions are more repressed. The increased emotional vividness serves as  a flag to our mind that what we are thinking is more important than   normal.

The following techniques can be practiced in other sleep  states, although the form they take may differ between stages of sleep.  Because it is difficult to remember information between a waking and  sleeping state, it is essential to keep a journal nearby in order  to write down important thoughts. Get into a habit of writing about the  contents of every lucid dream, regardless of which stage of sleep it  occurred in, as soon as you wake up. Write down every regular dream, as  well.

Symbols are important elements of our mind. Symbols  serve as associative cues to different places in our memory. When we  hedgecross, we enter into a state of mind where we are closer to our  memory, almost living in it as we do when we are deeply sleeping. We can  use symbols to interact with our mind. When we are hedgecrossing, we  can call up a symbol. Say, the color red. We visualize this color, and  because our thoughts have become more random, they will warp and respond  to the introduction of this cue. We could randomly remember a memory  connected to the color red. Or we could spontaneously imagine a  character or the beginning of a story prompted by thinking about the  color red.

We think about the world in certain ways that are  connected to our different types of memories. We have special  neurological processes dedicated to processing things like narratives,  relationships, time, other people, cultural stereotypes, and places.  These elements become easy to notice when we engage in dream work. We  become immersed in the components of our memory, and the types of  components we can think in become obvious quickly. Elements that  frequently recur in dreams often have some significance, and it is worth  it to interact with these symbols - doing so can reveal old memories  and can allow us to interact with these ideas to inspire or change the  self. This is the process of dream analysis. By interacting with  these symbols, characters, and other ideas, we can see their meaning.  Dream analysis books offer interpretations based on cultural symbolism.  This is helpful to some extent, but personal symbolism is what matters  the most, and it can be quite contextual and idiosyncratic. It is  possible to interact with an idea or symbol in a dream and to talk to  it, touch it, see what is inspired by interacting with it. The ideas  that spring up from interacting with this element can be used to analyze  its meaning.

Interacting with symbols in the mind can be used as a  hypnotherapy tool. If someone has a troubling thought loop or memory,  they can interact with it in a dream state to learn more about it and to  gain mastery over the memory. However, it is possible to trigger  nightmares in doing so. That is the risk of good dream work - there is  some element of difficulty to it, and one must be willing to face and  master difficult thoughts to proceed. This can be used to identify core  thoughts and traumas and integrate with them in the course of dealing  with difficult personal experiences and thoughts.

Astral Projection

Astral projection is the act of lucid  dreaming during deep sleep. Qualitatively, this state feels more mundane  than a traditional lucid dream, and it feels more thought-like. As we  enter deep sleep, we finally feel ourselves leave our body.  Paradoxically, we are actually entering our memory, completely cut off  from the external world. For a moment, we haven’t yet forgotten the  rules of external reality or the context we fell asleep in. Our short  term memory takes a short amount of time to clear, and in that time when  we first enter an astral state we experience ourselves as leaving our  body where we left off before we forget where we were when we fell  asleep as our previous circumstance is cleared from our short term  memory. Some people feel vibrations; other people feel nothing at all as  they transition from light sleep to deep sleep.

The general   framework for astral projecting is as follows: lay down in a comfortable  location; focus on staying awake as you slowly fall asleep. Eventually,  you will become overwhelmingly tired that it is almost beyond your  capability to hang on to your conscious awareness. Continue to stay  focused and eventually, your body will feel strange in some way.  Different people experience this change differently. It can be difficult  to get up and to exit the body; no longer being able to move the body  means you are in an astral state. Eventually, if you stay awake and keep  trying to interact with the world, you will leave your body.

This  is a good framework, although to properly associate this state of mind  for your deliberate use later, I recommend a slight permutation to the  classic technique. Before laying down to astral project, enter into your  mind’s eye. See a green glowing 2 in the middle of a field of green  roses. The sky above is filled with green petals. Turn around and see a  door with the letter B glowing green. Reflect on your intention and  enter the door; it should be dark. This signals to your mind that you  are beginning to focus with the intention of astral projecting. Some  people might want to stay immersed in the mind’s eye and imagine a green  landscape beyond the door; a green hedge maze with infinite twists and  turns, and green marble fountains and benches. You will completely enter  your internal landscape when you fall into a deep sleep. This is  similar to hedgecrossing, and it is easy to get stuck in a hedgecrossing  state and it can be hard to transition to an astral state, although  some do it this way. It is important to fall asleep in astral  projection, whereas in hedgecrossing it is important to stay aware as  you are near sleep. In an astral state, you completely lose touch with  the external world and your internal world becomes your entire reality.

Uses

Astral  projection is fun. The vivid emotions provoked by this state of mind   can be entertaining. It is interesting to watch the changes in cognition  that accompany the different stages of sleep. It is possible to use   lucid dreaming states in order to solve or work on personal problems. As  in hedgecrossing, analyzing and interacting with the content of dreams  can be highly meaningful and symbolic.

Some people use dreams to  help deal with psychological issues. Profound visions, such as religious  experiences and positive dreams, can be used to help improve mood even  if one isn’t spiritual. It is possible re-enact difficult memories or  scary situations and to master them in dreams, which leads to one  feeling more comfortable with that memory or situation in waking life.

Because  of the way we think, we often encounter certain types of forms when we  astral project. These forms reflect the way our brain encodes and   interacts with the world around us in our memory. We have specific types  of memory rather than just one unified type of memory; we have memories  for knowledge, behaviors, habits, associations between ideas, and  events. We also have further subdivisions in our memory for our   perception of ourselves, others, places, cultural stereotypes, objects -  and our relationships (which can take the form of opinions, a   perception of personality, narrative plots, and themes) to these things.  We can interact with these elements of our mind in a literal way in   dream states and understand how our memory itself is structured.

People  often encounter elements of our memory- and its ability to create novel  versions of things it has introjected- in specific forms in our dreams.  Some people refer to these constructs as deities or spirits, others see  them as thoughtforms depending on if they subscribe to a spiritual  belief system or not. We can perceive other people or ideals as  characters that feel emotionally profound; we can perceive otherworldly  places that feel as though they are beyond us. We can perceive the  elements of our memory in a vivid way that is highly creative because of  the memory shuffling that is occurring during memory consolidation  which happens during sleep. I am convinced that dreaming is people  watching the process of (some part of) memory consolidation in a literal  way.

Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming takes place during REM  sleep. In a normal person who isn’t sleep deprived, REM sleep sets in  after about 90 minutes. This makes entering a lucid dream through the  traditional way of meditating through the previous sleep states  difficult, although it is possible. Some people attempt to enter REM  sleep directly by waking themselves up and then going back to bed again;  because their mind is interrupted mid-sleep cycle, they may enter REM  again quickly.

The best way to attain lucidity during REM sleep,  in my opinion, is to engage in reality checks. Reality checks train us  to check during dreams automatically to see if we are sleeping or not.  We pick some detail about dreams that sets them apart from reality, and  during the day we check several times to see whether or not we are  sleeping. Eventually, this habit carries over into dreams and we  naturally question whether or not we are dreaming - which prompts us to  enter a lucid dream if we ask this question while we are dreaming.

Here  are some examples of reality checks: dreams constantly change and   shift, so if you look at something, look away, and then look back - if   you are dreaming, it should have changed. If you aren’t dreaming, it   will stay constant. In dreams, you can manipulate things with your mind;  try changing some element of the scenery as you would in a dream, or   try to fly. Trying to do these mental exercises from a waking state   feels silly and doesn’t work, but in a dream it can trigger you to   realize you are dreaming if you check to see if you can do these things and you can. Regularly check to see if you are dreaming during the day,  and check for these properties found only in dreams. Eventually, you   will ask the question during a dream and will become lucid.

Intentions  are helpful for the attainment of lucid dreaming. Before bed, enter   into your mind’s eye and find yourself on a red beach with a large red   3. A door with a glowing red C awaits you. Enter it, holding your   intention to lucid dream that night as you allow yourself to fall   asleep. When you attain lucidity, think back on the red C and the red 3.  This will associate these concepts with sleep. You can think on these red concepts in order to help with dream recall. These is called an anchor.  Anchors can be used to help keep you present during the dream and   remind you that you are lucid. Regularly think back on the red room with  the C; create a glowing C or 3 in your hand. The action of doing this grounds you in your dream and prevents you from losing your lucidity or  from waking up.

Additionally, you can check your dream journal for  patterns you are encountering during your natural dreams. These should  be your REM sleep dreams as these are the easiest to recall if you  weren’t lucid during them. Recognizing common types of dreams and dream  locations can help you recognize that you are dreaming.

Uses

Lucid  dreaming is fun. REM sleep dreams are vivid and highly creative. Lucid  dream states can be used to flesh out story ideas or to obtain inspiration.  The emotional vividness and the surreal ideas encountered in this state  of mind are ideal for creative inspiration, like to get inspiration for  an otherworldly landscape to draw or for a fictional place or character  for a story.

If you are going to use a lucid dream state for some  purpose, set your intention ahead of time. It can be fun to explore  dreams without an intention, but for goal directed purposes it is  important to set your intention or else you will forget while you are  maintaining your hold on your lucidity. Do you want to work on a story  idea? Okay. Do you want to focus on the plot, the setting, the theme, or  the characters?

You can focus on one element of your story that  you want to flesh out, or several. You can focus on them one at a time,  or all at once. It is difficult to hold many ideas in mind at once.  Reminding yourself of your story world, or the characters, or a scene  will cause it to manifest in your dream. Because dreams constantly shift  and evolve, it will immediately come to life and go in a direction you  barely control. This can be used for creative inspiration. That is how  one uses dreams - anything that manifests in the dreams suddenly comes  to life and takes on a mind of its own during a dream state. Interacting  with it intensifies this effect, leading to interesting ideas and  feelings.

#magick #witchcraft #witch #animism #shaman #shamanism #animist #occult #new age #dreams #dream #dream interpretation #carl jung #dream analysis #meditation #lucid #luciddream #lucid dreaming #lucid dream #astral #astral projection #astralprojection #oneiromancy #oneironaut #psychonautics #altered states #rem sleep #hedgewitch #hedgecraft #green witch

[roswelldetails]

Episode 2x04 - What if God Was One of Us

EPISODE SUMMARY:

AN ACT OF GOD — On the verge of a breakthrough in her quest to save Max (Nathan Dean), Liz (Jeanine Mason) turns to Kyle (Michael Trevino) for one last favor that could potentially land him in hot water. Meanwhile, Michael (Michael Vlamis) and Alex’s (Tyler Blackburn) investigation into Nora (guest star Kayla Ewell) leads them to a farm, where they meet a historian named Forrest (guest star Christian Antidormi). Elsewhere, Cameron (guest star Riley Voelkel) confronts Jesse Manes (Trevor St. John) about her sister’s whereabouts, and Isobel (Lily Cowles) uses her powers for good. Amber Midthunder also stars. Shiri Appleby directed the episode written by Steve Stringer & Christopher Hollier (#204). Original airdate 4/6/2020.

DETAILS:

Roy said that he took veterinary training, which is how he was able to help with Louise and Nora's injuries.

"How come it feels like you don't know what I'm saying, but you know what I'm thinking?"

Roy moved the truck (with the pods in it?) to the livery.

"Boss's wife won't let him blame the drought on God so that honor goes to his foreman -- that's me."

Kyle on The Science:

"You're telling me that Michael Guerin used pinball parts and a car battery to cause cutaneous perfusion?

(Cutaneous perfusion...i think it is circulation of fluid/blood through tissue, but it's a bit above my head)

The device Liz needs is a "Personal Genome Machine". She ordered it when she still worked at the hospital.

Before entering the Crashdown, Graham Green tapes a Missing sign on the door for Hank Gibbons (who Noah killed in 1x13).  Apparently someone covered it up.

The sign is HARD to read, but I think it says:

"All viable leads reported to Graham Green's UFO Emporium will receive a free keychain.  Make certain you subscribe to the Weekly Probe as we dive deeper into the untold stories of Roswell and answer the question on everyone's mind.  ARE YOU NEXT?"

Graham Green references that he's the "creator of last week's 39th most downloaded true crime podcast." (Assuming that this is the Weekly Probe, referenced on the poster).

Graham Green is opening a 1947 themed malt shop at the UFO Emporium

U.F. Doughs (the Crashdown's new donuts).

Isobel's been coming to the Crashdown every day for weeks.  (Note that this episode is the first one that really doesn't have a clear time context).

"Feliz cumpleanos, mama!" Happy birthday in Spanish, of course, but note Kyle's choice term of endearment for fic purposes!  And she responds in kind "Gracias, mijo!" (Mijo = male version. Arturo calls Liz mija = female version)

"A wild Michael Guerin finally emerges from his weeks-long hibernation in a lab and a library."

Again, non-specific time frame.

"When every other farm was struggling, the Longs experienced record-breaking crops.  Summer of '47. No one could explain it…till October '48. The day after that photo ran in the paper, the farm was devastated by a massive fire.  Foreman, entire staff killed. Whole place burned down."

"What caused the fire?"

"Well the paper called it an act of God.  Said it was a freak storm. Bolt of lightning strikes the barn the same night that my mom's caught and locked up in Caulfield."

Wyatt Long's horses are named "Diamond" and "Silk".

Jesse Manes' beer of choice is "Polestaff".

Cam's postcard from Charlie (Likely the reason she came back to Roswell) says:

"See you back in Roswell --Charlotte"

Top left corner says "Greetings from Roswell, NM".

It was mailed to Jenna at the Green Hill Motel in Dayton, Ohio.

Jenna says it's not Charlie's handwriting.

Isobel in the mindwarp: "And what's your dream, Arturo? What would be your miracle? What do you pray for?"

Arturo & Rosa's fight… 

"Did that fool give you drugs? I'll kill him!"

"Ow! You're hurting me! That's child abuse!"

"Everything I do I do to hold you up and you see it as abuse. I don't know what to do anymore!"

"Yeah right." Rosa falls down and laughs.

"This isn't funny! Sheriff Valenti won't give you any more chances."

"You should be happy. You wanted me to be on the field hockey team, remember? You said I should make friends and have good American fun."

"Who sold you the pills?"

"I stole them."

"Was it Frederico?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

"Tell me the truth!"

"It was Mom! She's either too high to notice that they're missing, or she knows and she doesn't care."

"You're lying to me. I don't know how to help you."

"So stop trying then. I'm beyond hope anyway, right? That's what everyone else in this town thinks."

"Maybe you're right. I'm going for a drive."

Arturo tried to register with Instagram as PancakePapi!! He ended up with PancakePapi58!

Scene with Steph and her dad...FIRST MENTION OF SOPAPILLAS ON THE SHOW!!! 🤤🤤🤤🤤 (They're the best...in New Mexican restaurants they're like, both an appetizer and a dessert.  They're like hollow fried bread that you eat with honey. Delicious.)  See here:

Plus it gave the show another opportunity to be authentically New Mexican through food references.  (Last season it was in episode 2 when Arturo asked,"red or green?" And Liz replied "Christmas!". In New Mexico that means half red half green chile smothering her plate.) Like so: 

1948...unclear how much time has passed, but Louise says months.

The kid's name is Walt.  (Walt Long?? Some other last name?).

Nora says that under the tarp is the "pumpkin launcher" and it's a surprise.

Nora says it's not safe for Michael here, "but soon."

"Hey do you smell that? It smells like rain.  It's what you smell like under all the grease and bourbon.  It's what your workshop smells like. Something alien happened here. Not that I can still smell it 70 years later."

"This is the best evidence I've seen that Max and Isobel's mother survived the initial firefight. This is something that you do with family."

"Nora's my mother. If she was here at the same time as Louise…"

Note - when did they confirm who Louise was or that she was Max & Isobel's mom? This has not happened narratively yet.

Since Walt was a young kid, Alex thinks there's a chance he's still alive (though at the end Nora definitely thought he died when the barn blew up. I suspect that Walt survived and is the key to the story...not fact, just speculation.)

Forrest: "The foreman, Roy Bronson, was definitely hiding something.  But it wasn't Little Green Men. It was Nazi spies."

"This is like Junior Year eraser room, getting caught by Coach Wiggins."

OG callback to the eraser room being the high school makeout spot. OG, "the eraser room takes our innocence." 

Rosa in Spanish "¿En serio?" Basically "are you serious!?!" Or "really?" When the blender shorts out (awfully similar to her first Noah nightmare in 2x01)

"...when Charlie told me she had stole classified documents, I reported her.  I thought I was doing the right thing and the military put her in prison."

"Right. Where she was safe."

"No. I… I didn't know who she really was when I turned her in. I didn't know what prison would do to her."

"She wanted you to turn her in, Jenna. She set you up to do so. She knew that as long as she was in government custody no one could get to her."

"Charlie fought in two wars.  Who was she afraid of?"

"A private securities firm, most likely.  You know that I met her? She was working on this genetic sequencing project that had the potential to save lives, but also destroy them. And there were some people out there who saw applications for her research that went beyond her intentions."

"She was doing research that could help save lives, and people wanted to use it to create a bioweapon."

"Well yeah, she created this pathogen that could seek out and dismantle specific sequences. Just think about it -- a smart bomb that could be detonated in the middle of a crowded city, only harm it's intended target. Think about the innocent civilian lives saved while you take out leaders of terrorist organizations."

"Or commit genocide. If her work fell into the wrong hands, it could quietly wipe out entire groups of people because they share a certain genetic code, while their neighbors go about living their lives.  Why do you know so much about this? What's your interest in my sister?"

"I believed that I had a use for her pathogen, at one time. But my fight is over now."

A few notes about this exchange.

Clearly Charlie's pathogen is the key ingredient in the smart bomb that Flint was developing, as discussed in 1x12.

Liz's "personal genome machine" can break down the alien genetics and give Project Shepherd what they need to use a smart bomb on the aliens. 

Don't forget, her lab is protected by Air Force security set up by "Alex's team". (Badbadbadbad!)

Rosa describing her bipolarism. 

"I get these mood swings sometimes. Like, I can be happy and singing one minute, and then, all of a sudden, this darkness just closes in over me, and I have all these voices telling me that I'm worthless."

Jesse gives Cam the name of the security firm looking for Charlie.  We don't see the name of it. He warns her to be careful. "I may be hobbled but they are not."

"Now, you were hunting aliens, and I gave you Max's name. Why didn't you lock him up in Caulfield with the rest?"

"I don't know.  I guess I feel like there's a story unfolding in Roswell. Has been for more than 50 years.  You can't blame me for wanting to see how it ends."

Catherine Zeta-Jones in a laser maze -- Liz is referencing the 1999 movie Entrapment.

Liz trying to science-intrigue Kyle….

"Interesting historical footnote. There was an internment camp in Roswell. Nazi POWs built half this city.  Hence the iron crosses. My great-great grandfather BoDean's foreman got busted for hiding a couple of women here. According to him 'A couple Nazi spies escaped and strudeled their schnitzel for room and board right here on this very farm.  See, I was never really as into shooting squirrels as Wyatt is, so, when I came out here for summers as a kid, my cousin Kate and I -- we'd prowl the property for artifacts."

"You know, what we're doing you and me -- it doesn't only have to be for Max...once Max is healthy, we could use this genome machine to Target cellular apoptosis.  I mean, we could craft polymerase sequencing in human DNA. We don't have to stop. We have no boards, no restrictions…"

Apoptosis is also sometimes referred to as "cellular suicide" or "spontaneous single cell death".

Polymerase is like the building blocks of DNA.

In other words, Liz is really, really smart.

FORREST LONG!!!!!! 😂😂😂. 

Alex on the bullet shells: "These match the M1917s the airmen used in '48.

"They were scattered all over the property. Legend has it the Nazis we're building some kind of bomb in the barn. Then one night the Air Force showed up."

"The night of the fire."

"The blaze burned so hot it turned sand to stone. Papers say that lightning struck the barn and everyone died in the flames, but...that's bull.  See I think the Air Force covered up the massacre that happened when they discovered that weapon.

A few things on this scene… 

Forrest mentions his cousin Kate...Wyatt's sister who was murdered by Noah in 2008.  So Forrest is Wyatt Long's cousin. 

Substitute Nazi for alien and it's probably all based somewhat based in truth.  In the 1940s that definitely would have been a reasonably obvious way to cover it up, especially given the history that Forrest cites and the military culture in Roswell.

Note: POW = prisoner of war

The iron crosses Forrest references…

Article on the German POWs in the Roswell Daily Record…

Walt was hiding in the barn when Tripp made it explode.  Explosion looked shimmery, like the alien ship & tech. 

Also, more info than you ever wanted to know about the Roswell Army Air Field/Walker Air Force Base/Roswell International Air Center...including some info on the POWs.

Sheriff Valenti's theory on Noah's death:

"I think Max Evans poisoned Noah and left him in the desert the night of the lightning storm, and I think Isobel Evans was in on it."

Kyle says it would take gallons of acetone to poison someone.

Tripp was Alex's great uncle

Nora was working on a ship to take the pods home.

TRIPP MANES!!!  Full name is Eugene Manes III.

Alex finally gives Michael the piece of alien ship he's had.  He doesn't want to be another Manes man standing in Michael's way.

Cam's voicemail to Liz.

"Got a lead on my sister.  Give me a call when you get that tin-star-wearing E.T. awake, so I can curse him out for worrying us all. Good luck Liz. Bring Max home."

Arturo's Spanish to Liz and Rosa.

"Das gracias a Dios.  Gracias todos los dias."

Translates generally to "Thank God.  Thanks every day."

Isobel's monologue at the end:

"The idea of God always freaked me out. Like, apparently he made people in his own image, which, first of all, get over yourself. And also, does that apply to us? Does every planet have its own God? Let's say that we're all clones of the big guy in the sky. Well then, doesn't it stand to reason that we're all capable of slinging light? Well I guess by that same token we're all capable of tremendous wrath. We're walking contradictions. A never-ending mercurial rise and fall. Darkness and light. I guess the real miracle is choosing the light. Despite the ever-present darkness. Look at us. You're in the middle of a downright biblical desert, galaxies from where we started. I mean, our very existence is a miracle. I'm capable of so much more than I thought I was, Max. I really think that maybe I could do great things. I need you to come back, okay? I need you to be the thing that I can believe in. That doesn't let me down. I just need this one little miracle, and I promise I won't ever ask for anything ever again."

MUSIC:

1. LEN "Steal My Sunshine"

2. Spacehog "In The Meantime"

3. Duke Ellington "Take It Easy"

4. Maná "Como Te Deseo"

5. Oasis "Don't Look Back In Anger"

6. Ben Harper "Waiting On An Angel"

#roswell new mexico #rnm season 2 #episode details #long post #what if god was one of us #rnm 204

[stella-monstrum]

Bobby Roe’s ‘Underestimated Gem’, “The Houses October Built”; [1hr 31mins, Rated R] (2014)

Admittedly, there is a lot to unpack in this review. 

I found myself at the relatable point of endless scrolling through horror films on streaming apps, hoping to find something that really challenged and rattled my thinking afterwards. Obviously, film taste is different for everyone, and I am CERTAINLY way too easy to scare. But this wasn’t a film made to elicit jumps—or screams for that matter.

I went into this viewing with a couple expectations. First of all, Hulu’s trailer for the movie was enough to grab my interest by itself. The clips of this group of friends exploring haunted horror attractions and the brief introduction to the eerie actors along with it pulled me in.

[Anecdote; Around the same time that the film came out, I’d gone to my first haunted house. I was separated from my group, and thrown into a “butcher shed,” and proceeded to have the living shit scared out of me. One of the actors knew that their mates had gone too far and pretty much came in to save the day. Afterwards, I thought it was the coolest thing and started to laugh at my own fear—which plays massively to the appeal to watch.]

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Before I go into the review... 

I will say that the thriller theme to this film made me squirm and made it difficult to watch all the way through. So if you’re squeamish, have trauma-like responses, or have epilepsy, proceed with caution or skip this one altogether. 

This film also contains a bunch of NSFW themes, torture, and graphic images (which basically delivers its main purpose, I guess).

(Written by Stella. Edited by Jacob J )

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The Cast:

Brandy Schaeffer as Brandy

Zach Andrews as Zach

Bobby Roe as Bobby

Mikey Roe as Michael (aka Mikey)

Jeff Larson as Jeff

The casting is fairly straightforward, with the actors playing overly exaggerated versions of themselves. Though technically under the lead of director Bobby Roe, the cast all had a hand in writing the film. Pulling double duty is a feat in itself. (It was unfortunate to find in my research that, after the 2017 sequel, the majority of the cast just dropped off the face of the Earth.)

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Summary:

The five childhood friends from Ohio seek out the thrill of the Halloween season, traveling through the deep south of Texas in an RV. They’re stocked up on junk food, booze, drugs, and pure joy that they’re setting out on this journey. For the six days leading up to Halloween, they visit six attractions in the Lone Star state. (technically) 

The team begins at a bar in Tyler, Texas, to celebrate the beginning of their trip. In their wasted stupor (and even while sober throughout the film), they make light and joke about how these “haunted attractions” are tame and as fake as the horror films they strive to represent. (Meta as hell, right?)

With each visit, the attractions grow scarier and freakier. Somehow, they piss off a whole gang of creepy-ass characters. Despite being essentially in the middle of nowhere, the aforementioned creep squad (we’re talking clowns, bloody bunnies, backwoods Vorhees groupies, etc.) stalk and terrorize the traveling quintet. The group moves on toward the ultimate attraction, The Blue Skeleton, which they desperately try to find. This leads them on a mystery hunt through word of mouth (and an online horror attraction forum, to the secret location). They eventually wind up heading towards the deep, dark heart of Louisiana, where The Blue Skeleton exceeds every fear that they wanted in the first place—and ends up being their worst nightmare.

The film also gives a small nod to George Romero, the man who changed the way that zombies were seen in pop culture and films, during their visit to a zombie-themed paintball attraction. On top of that, the creators made the film on a very small budget (allegedly). It was given a brief theatrical release in 2014, but years later became a niche gem with a continuing following amongst horror film fans.

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[Likes & Dislikes]

It was incredibly hard to want to complain, consider how the film left my state of mind after watching. But, ultimately, I had to find something for the sake of this review. So I’ll start with the dislikes first, because it’s so worth saving the best for last in this circumstance.

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[Dislikes]:

1.) The first-person filming: Although capturing themes and moments perfectly to keep suspense, it made me super queasy.

- Now, this nitpick isn’t an end-all film-ruiner. With any first person/found-footage deal, there’s a guarantee to feel the rollercoaster like adventure in your gut. (I recommend having a good bowl of ramen or some ginger tea on hand.)

- The filming style 100% captures and cranks every moment of fear, suspense, and terror. It makes you feel like you’re a part of the team. (Found-footage/first-person filming was the original VR, fight me.)

2.) The full on disrespect that the group shows to the attractions.

First attraction: They find a ladder (that’s conveniently left unsupervised, despite not being for patron use). Mikey decides to climb it and steals a megaphone as well. He causes a scene atop the ticket booth and attempts to get a crowd shot for their film at the Haunt House in Caddo Mills, Texas. This pisses off an entire group of creepy-ass clowns that follow them back to their RV. Living up to his unspoken title of Mister Dumbass, Mikey tries to confront them.

● Second attraction: One of the clowns and a broken porcelain doll actress proceeded to follow the crew to this location in Eureka, Texas. Mikey confronts the “doll” when they find her on the side of the road. She follows onto the bus, screams, then slowly leaves.

● Third Attraction: As the group enters Phobia, located by US Highway 248, they’re told not to film past the point of entry. The camera shuts off. When the camera (one that Bobby set up on the RV) comes back on, we see Mikey trying to hook up with one of the contortionist girls. Afterward, when Zach finds out more information about the acclaimed Blue Skeleton, they get confronted by yet another pissed off clown accusing Mikey of filming when they were told not to.

There’s an entire slew of other incidents that I won’t dive into, but I will say one final con:

3.) Brandy just minds her own business the whole time, yet gets the backlash and crossfire from the boys’ shenanigans and dumbassery. 

- Honestly the more she got caught in the middle, the more I felt looming dread. 

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[Likes/Loves:]

Amidst the (albeit small) annoyances, there was so much that I loved and enjoyed about this film. 

1.) Complete out-of-the-gate blurred lines of the entertainment-yet-fear that we seek out in haunted houses.

● Starting from the opening scenes, there’s VHS like footage of fun and upbeat tours from haunted attractions, which evolves into a slow burn of much much darker and horrible secrets/tragedies from them: 

- An employee found hung, mistaken as a prop;

- Houses allegedly hiring murderers and criminals without background checks; 

- & Actors going as far as breaking bones (but not killing) to scare patrons.

2.) Continuity that never strayed from the film’s theme and/or purpose. 

● Through all six attractions that the crew visit, the actors that they seemingly managed to piss off (looking at the real male hubris issues here) follow and stalk them whilst traveling in the middle of nowhere—even all the way to Louisiana.

● With each haunt, the scare level increases, starting with fun and simple baby-type scares and progressing to pure anxiety and nightmare fuel. 

(As an aside, I’m honestly still mad that there was no seizure warning for the amount of strobe lights they filmed in the name of fear.)

3.) Consistent foreshadowing

● At the very beginning, they show a gut-wrenching video of a bloodied and tied-up Brandy being shoved into a trunk

● Also, the film seemingly always lingers on Brandy, which gives a small clue as to the haunt creeps having an unhealthy obsession with her.

● At the first attraction, The Haunt House, while the crew films with high spirits, they convince Brandy to playfully get into one of the prop coffins, thinking it’ll be funny. Then the actor nearby shuts the coffin until she screams to let her out. 

      - Deeper into their travels, they joke about how much they’d want to get paid to be buried alive. At the end, that’s exactly what happens.

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(Final Thoughts)

There are so many heart- and gut-wrenching moments that force you to never look away from the screen. If I’m being honest, the style and story that Bobby Roe created is honestly on par with something you’d see from the acclaimed likes of Kubric and Zombie, among others.

 This is such an underrated find. Minus my nitpicks, I’m giving this [9/10] stabs.

 (This is the most I’ve been shaken up by a film in a good while.)

Want to get lost and vicariously (not literally) shit your pants? This is the film for you. 

[Just don’t piss any clowns off on your way there,K?]

#the houses october built #october #all hallows eve #halloween #haunted #haunted hallows #haunted attraction #spooky #still shook #mindfuck #mindblown #mind blowing #bobby roe #2014 #horror movies #movie review #movie rec list #movies #movie #coffin #psycho #underrated #niche #writers #writer #horror #horror film #horror review #female writers #aspiring author

[esmevibes]

Astrology Readings Currently Available

Astrology Readings Currently Available; This is a list of the astrology readings currently offered by Esme in The Seeker’s Trove. These are available for purchase through the website or discord shop front, which you can access here:

[Discord] [Website]

Feel free to DM about any questions or concerns! Upon request of a reading, Esme will discuss the details needed with you, and you will be invoiced via PayPal. Wait times vary depending on which reading you choose.

Basic Astrological Profile - $15

Interested in astrology but not sure where to start? Curious what your sun, moon, and ascendant signs mean or how they influence each other and your personality? This is the perfect reading for you. This listing includes a detailed explanation of these three aspects of your chart, as well as intuited advice about how to apply this information to your day-to-day.

Extended Astrological Profile - $30

Would you like to delve deeper into your personality and traits? Curious what the stars have to say about you? This extended, personalized astrology reading is aimed at giving you a deeper understanding of your own personality and how you can apply this knowledge to your everyday life. Includes information about your sun sign, moon sign, ascendant sign, and 3-5 planets and their house placements that are intuited to influence you the most in relation to the rest of your chart.

Full Astrological Profile - $50

Perhaps you'd like a solid, overall picture of your entire chart to better understand what makes you tick. Maybe you're curious of how each celestial body plays a role and manifests in your life, or how you can improve in certain areas based on the whole picture. With this reading, you will receive an in-depth explanation about your sun, moon, and ascendant signs, information about each of the planets and their house placements, and a brief summary of the overall theme or message that is intuited to be most important for you right now.

Emotional Health Astrology Reading - $30

With this reading I will take the details of your chart pertaining to emotional health and well-being, heavily influenced by your moon placement and explain what your signs need to feel emotionally secure, how they tend to cope with negative emotions, combined with tidbits from other areas of your chart to explore how you can apply this knowledge to better handle difficult times.

Relationship Astrology Reading - $35

This isn't your average "how compatible are we" love chart analysis. With this reading, I will explore your Mercury and Venus placements, a few house occupancies, and how they influence the rest of your chart to hopefully give you a better understanding of your communication style and interpersonal relationship strengths (or weaknesses). This reading will tell you a whole lot about your personal desires and focus-points, that you can then use to decide for yourself how compatible you are with friends, family, and lovers. The best way to utilize this reading is to go into it with an attitude of intentional growth within the bonds you already have and then using that self-awareness to better future endeavors, romantic or otherwise.

Pop-Up Reading - $5

Want a quick and cheap insight into who you are? With this reading, I will generate your chart and share with you a paragraph with some insight into a specific aspect of your chart that jumps out at me right away. If something within this reading resonates with you that you'd like to explore further, additional information can be added upon request at a discounted price.

Astrology Care Plan - $20

This listing is a little different than the others offered, as it is less of a reading and more of a care plan of correspondences for your signs. It includes information about yoga positions, diet suggestions, healing crystals, colors, scents, meditations, and more that are recommended based on your natal chart details.

Past & Future Astrology Reading - $30

Ever been interested in how your past in this life or others influences who you are today? What about your karmic paths and lessons you came here to learn to better get a grip on how to tackle tomorrow? This reading will explore your North and South Node to give you a glimpse into your past and future to help you be your best self in the present.

Shadow Reading - $75 - [CLOSED]

A word of caution, this reading is not for everyone and will not be taken lightly. This reading is best for those that are already familiar with shadow work, or are in a comfortable enough headspace to safely dive into the darker parts of themselves. This reading will involve a heavy influence from your Lilith placement, as well as other minor details from your natal chart as a whole if applicable. It will explore matters associated with sex, death, obsession and addiction, and other taboo or dark areas of your life and personality that we tend to avoid or run from. The intention of this reading is to give you a deeper self-awareness that will lead to acceptance of these areas of your life and help you move forward from past grievances, resentments, or traumas. As this reading takes a lot of energy and meditation on deeper, more difficult matters, it will not always be available. This listing will read OPEN or CLOSED in the title to indicate when it is available for purchase.

The Works: Mini - $15-30

This listing is a good option for those who don't want a full reading listed above, but would like to pick and choose a few aspects of topics mentioned in them. This reading is customizable and may contain small aspects from 2-3 various reading options. Shadow Reading not applicable in this bundle

The Works - $120

Do all of these reading options entice you? Unsure of which one would be the best choice at this time? Why not get the works! This reading will include The Full Astrological Profile, Emotional Health Reading, Relationship Reading, the Astrology Care Plan, a Past & Future analysis, and a Pop-Up Reading-styled intuitive message from me based on the information I've gathered. A $170 value, this is a good option for those that want as much information as possible without buying each reading separately.

This is the most in-depth reading currently offered and will consequently take the most time. Expect a wait time of approximately 4-5 weeks Shadow Reading not applicable in this bundle

Customized Astrology Reading: Topic/Question Based - $15-50

If you're not interested in a full profile but you're curious how your chart might influence a specific issue, or you have a burning question you hope the stars might be able to help you answer, this is a great listing choice for you. It is fully customizable, and will be tuned to explore what you're interested in learning about most. It will involve a brief conversation with Esme to discuss your question/topic, followed by intuitive research into aspects of your natal chart that relate to the issue at hand. Prices vary depending on how in-depth the question and reading are.

#witchblr #witchcraft #astrology #tarot #witches of tumblr #witch #witch aesthetic #tarot reading #astrology witch #astrology reading #stars #virgo #sun sign #rising sign #moon sign #Leo #libra #sagittarius #aquarius #cancer #metaphysical #occult #capricorn #taurus #aries #natal chart #paid readings #pagan #wicca

[b-skarsgard]

Bill Skarsgård is on his feet, furiously pumping his arms back and forth. Standing 6-foot-4, he could cover a lot of ground if he wanted to, but he’s channeling a specific 5-year-old at play here.

We are talking about picking up other people’s physicalities and incorporating bits and pieces of them into his characters when he shoots up to demonstrate his bag of tricks. Standing in the open space of an Upper West Side home’s library, he brings his shoulders up to his ears, keeping the energy in his top half akin to a runner sprinting to his finish line, while from the waist down he appears more as a slow loris than Sonic the Hedgehog.

“That’s my little brother [Ossian],” Skarsgård says with a laugh, explaining the movement’s inspiration. “He’s 10 now, but when he was 4 or 5, he had a really funny way of running. You ever see kids do this? It’s the funniest thing ever.” Funny, sure, but when done by someone of the actor’s stature, slightly bewildering and creepy. “If you look at Pennywise,” he says, “Pennywise does this.”

Skarsgård is, of course, referring to his biggest role to date: Stephen King’s clown creation at the center of the “It” film franchise. As the evil entity known for eating children alive, Skarsgård has taken Pennywise the Dancing Clown—first imagined in King’s 1986 behemoth novel before being brought to the screen by Tim Curry in a campy 1990 miniseries—and morphed him into a truly terrifying being who brings into vivid clarity just how scary circus attire can be.

In case you somehow missed it, “It” premiered in 2017 and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, grossing $700 million worldwide and breaking the record for the highest-grossing horror film of all time. It inspired Halloween costumes, “Saturday Night Live” spoofs, and a whole new generation of genre fans who will never look at red balloons the same way again.

Skarsgård and his cast—which includes kid co-stars Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things”), Jaeden Martell (“Masters of Sex”), Sophia Lillis (“Sharp Objects”), and a standout Jack Dylan Grazer (“Shazam!”), plus their adult counterparts Bill Hader, James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and James Ransone, respectively—are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle once more this September with “It Chapter Two.” Picking up 27 years after the first film and Pennywise’s apparent—but temporary—defeat at the hands of the Losers Club, the film is another chance for Skarsgård to showcase the impressive physicality and personality he brought to Round 1.

Just minutes into a conversation with the actor—and after that performance of a 5-year-old running—it’s clear his calculated character work is thanks to a keen sense of observation. Take the Swede’s analysis of Scandinavian cities, for instance: His hometown of Stockholm is not as laid-back as Copenhagen, which by comparison feels more European. Having been raised in Sweden to a family of acting royalty—Stellan Skarsgård (an Emmy nominee this year for “Chernobyl”) is his father and Alexander Skarsgård (Emmy winner for “Big Little Lies”) is his brother—he recalls his people as more serious, the type to follow rules and structure.

His observations let him steal tangible details and tics from strangers, friends, family, and cultures, pulling them into the people (and, in the case of “It,” evil entities) he plays.

“Sometimes I even do it subconsciously, where I do something in a scene and I’m like, Wait a minute, that’s the guy from the subway. I saw this guy and I thought he was weird. Now I just did it in a scene,” he says, getting excited. “I fucking love when it happens so much because it’s literally happening in the moment.”

He’s not Method in his acting, but Skarsgård’s approach certainly feels all-encompassing. He has the capacity to go so deep that he makes it a point to draw clear boundaries for himself; during the audition process, he consciously avoids getting too attached to the role, limiting his prep work to memorizing the sides and making a strong, well-thought-out choice about the character he’s playing.

“You can prepare as much as you want—prepare in terms of the scene or think about the character, but the research I put into a role is emotional, especially if I have a book to read about it,” he says. “The ‘It’ book is a really particular one, but usually, [if] you read about the character, delving much deeper into who [they are], you start getting emotionally attached. You can get emotionally attached to a character without doing much research at all. It’s just shitty when you don’t book it... For me, when I book it is when I let myself go [and] really feel safe to emotionally give so much of myself to it.”

His wariness is understandable when you look at his résumé. Life for any actor naturally ebbs and flows between bookings and rejections, but that’s amplified for an actor like Skarsgård, who has built a career on playing brooding types often living in dire circumstances. His breakout role stateside was as vampire Roman Godfrey on Netflix’s “Hemlock Grove” before going on to play a character in the third installment of the post-apocalyptic “Divergent” series and then a mysterious inmate who’s been theorized to be the actual devil in another Stephen King-inspired screen project, “Castle Rock.” It’s not exactly light fare, and diving into those psyches unnecessarily could become detrimental.

“I like living by [the motto] ‘It is what it is’; you adapt and you’re spontaneous and you change things,” Skarsgård says when asked if he adheres to any specific technique to capture the characters he plays. “My life is not very structured or organized to begin with, and that obviously bleeds into the work that I do.”

It’s the spontaneity of his choices onscreen, too, that makes the 29-year-old so fun to watch, particularly as Pennywise. Two of his contributions to the final incarnation of Pennywise’s appearance include the cartoonishly pointed bottom lip—a thing Skarsgård can really do with his mouth, something he says he’s never seen anyone other than his family members do—and Pennywise’s walleyed stare, in which one of his pupils wanders off to the side while the other stays firmly focused on you.

Physically, the role is demanding, requiring him to yell, shake, and contort his face in ways that leave him exhausted; that’s not to mention the hours spent sitting in hair and makeup. “You have glue all over your face; there’s paint. Your hair is up in [a skullcap]—it’s itching. There’s, like, a foam head on top of it.” To put it mildly, “It” and its sequel are unlike any of Skarsgård’s other acting experiences. For myriad reasons, it lacked the give and take of more traditional projects. He had to be at “150 percent intensity” whenever the camera was on him. “A lot of the stuff I do sometimes is literally like”—he makes a gurgling sound like a chainsaw underwater. “It’s like one big jump scare, charging the camera screaming and shaking my head violently. There’s never a scene where you’re just chilling.”

The final product is an amalgamation of script work, Skarsgård’s own imagination, and King’s classic novel, which he leaned on more than usual since the script, told from the perspective of the film’s child leads, necessarily left out Pennywise’s perspective. He also used YouTube to watch videos of mimes, hyenas, baboons, and monkeys, using elements from each to piece together the way Pennywise moves through space.

With all the information he’s gathered from his prep process at his fingertips, the on-set experience becomes about playing to the truth of the scene and the “essence of what the character is at that point.”

“You completely intellectualize the character,” he explains about the early stages of figuring out the person he’s playing. “Who is this guy psychologically? Why is he acting this way? What is his relationship with the world and the people closest to him? The way I do it is objectively going out and studying him separately from me. Observing him, judging him, understanding him, and sympathizing with him.”

He admits to developing a fondness for Pennywise, who refused to vacate his mental premises even after the film wrapped. “You go with a character and you think about that character obsessively for a very long time, and then overnight there’s nothing left to think about,” he says. The uncoupling manifested itself in his dreams, where he sometimes was Pennywise and sometimes was talking to Pennywise, upset that he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. “And then I wake up and I’m like, that was kind of sweet.” It’s the kind of affection only an actor who has lovingly pieced together a character over four years can have for something so objectively sinister.

But no matter the role—or its wickedness—we relish the moment Skarsgård stands up to show us what he’s found today.

#link #magazine #backstage magazine #interview #bill skarsgard #bill skarsgård

[hermannsthumb]

“I’m trying to decide if this thing I did is incredibly stupid.” “What happened? what did you do?” “Well… I fell in love (with you).” (newmann prompt, again)

this prompt is SO ROMANTIC so im appropriating it for my niche regency au exactly two other people care about. this one goes out to all three of us

June is uncharacteristically harsh this year, hot and sunny and devoid of rainfall, and inside the Gottlieb house—despite its arching ceilings, its airy halls, the windows that Hermann himself went around and flung open in a fit of sweat-damp exhaustion the night before—is even hotter. No amount of refilling the water pitchers or retreating deep into the cool, dark library will do. Not even the library remains cool and dark.

Newton has come, however, as he promised he would, which lightens Hermann’s spirits somewhat. Misery loves company, if anything. Newton lays sprawled across the great chaise he favors in the library now, stripped out of his boots and waistcoat and cravat, stockinged feet propped up on a cushion, arm—the sleeve rolled up to his elbow—flung across his perspiring brow. Just over his eyeglasses. “We need to get out of here,” he says.

His throat is bared. The beginnings of his strange inkjob poke out from his unbuttoned collar. Hermann is sprawled in an arm chair of his own, fanning himself with an Encyclopedia, and he cannot tear his eyes away. “Hm?”

Newton pushes himself up. “We need to get out of here,” he repeats. “I’m boiling.”

“Where do you suggest we go?” Hermann says. He drags his eyes up, lazily, to Newton’s face.

“Not an inkling of an idea,” Newton says. He sticks each foot back into his boots, though he does not bother slipping his waistcoat back on or fixing his buttons. “C’mon. Outside.”

Hermann groans in protest, but he allows Newton to pull him to his feet and shove his cane at him; he can’t imagine a walk outside, in the sun, will do any good. There isn’t even a breeze.

Newton knows the forests better than Hermann does without a doubt, especially the forests behind the Gottlieb estate: Newton travels through them, quietly, on foot, each occasion he and Hermann have set an illicit meeting in the dead of night. He leads Hermann through them now, down a well-worn dirt path, past fallen logs and moss and boulders, deeper and deeper until the patches of sunlight streaming through the canopy of leaves above their heads become scarce. It is far cooler in the shade. Hermann will grant Newton that. “Do you know where we’re going?” Hermann pants. He’s had to rest, momentarily, against a tree; his leg does not usually ache him terribly on long walks, but the ground is uneven with tree roots and slopes up and down at random.

“Of course,” Newton says. He stands a few feet in front of Hermann, squinting deeper into the trees. “Ah. See.” He points.

Hermann sees nothing but a small clearing ahead, a bit sunnier than most of what they’ve been walking through. “What is it?”

Newton doubles back and takes Hermann’s arm to lead him along gently. The closer they get to the clearing, the louder the sound of running water becomes, and soon, they stand at the edge of a stream. “I found this last month,” Newton declares, sounding delighted. “Fell into it while I was walking home.”

“You fell?” Hermann says, turning to him in mild alarm. Newton flashes him a smile.

“I’m still in one piece, aren’t I?” Newton says. He drops Hermann’s arm and begins to fish around in the small satchel he’d packed discreetly and brought along with them: he pulls out a sheet (one of the Gottliebs’ nice sheets, clearly liberated from the linen closet off the washroom, though when Hermann is not sure), and spreads that on the grass, then sets down the makings of a rudimentary picnic atop that. (Food just as clearly liberated from the Gottlieb pantry, Hermann is quite sure.) “Here, have a seat.”

Hermann obliges gratefully, loosening his cravat and helping himself to grapes and a canteen of what turns out to be lemonade. Both are technically his, after all. But Newton does not sit next to him, as Hermann expected, choosing, instead, to settle his hands on his hips and continue to admire the stream. “Are you not joining me?” Hermann says.

“I will,” Newton says. “Shortly.”

He shucks off his boots once more, then his stockings, then—to Hermann’s great consternation—his breeches and linen shirt, leaving him standing before Hermann in nothing but his plain white undergarments, broad, inked chest bare. “Newton,” Hermann near-squeaks. He averts his eyes in modesty.

Newton casts him a roguish smile. He twists his index finger in the tie strings of his undergarments and tugs lightly. “I can take off more, if you’d like it.”

“No,” Hermann says, quickly, blushing pink and fumbling the grapes. They fall to the sheet and upend his tin cup of lemonade. “No, ah—”

Newton turns away with a wink. As Hermann attempts to mop up the lemonade with his handkerchief, Newton begins to wade into the clear water of the stream, barefoot, hoisting his undergarments up past his knees. “Bit cold,” he says, with a low hum. “‘S perfect. You should come in, too. Ow.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Stepped on a rock. Should’ve kept my shoes on. Oh, look!’

Newton dives down, plunging his arm into the water, but emerges empty-handed. “Damn,” he says. “Thought I saw a turtle.”

“Please don’t harass any turtles,” Hermann says, a half-hearted scold, because, truthfully, he’s too distracted by the small droplets of water now glistening on Newton’s chest to care about turtles.

Newton does not respond, his attention caught by a bright green dragonfly that zips by his head. “Wow,” he says with a whistle, pushing up his eyeglasses as he tracks it. “Look at that. Beautiful.”

“Mm,” Hermann says. One of the droplets curves down Newton’s right pectoral, down over the small swell of his stomach, and disappears in the waistband of his undergarments. Another begins a similar journey. After Hermann tracks four, he realizes, belatedly, that Newton is still talking about the dragonfly. Specifically its diet. “Fascinating,” Hermann interjects quickly, when it seems like the appropriate time to.

The ghost of a smirk crosses Newton’s face. Hermann had not been that subtle. “Indeed,” Newton says.

Their conversation lulls into a comfortable silence. Newton continues to splash around in the stream, occasionally plucking small rocks from the sandy banks and shoving them in his pockets, while Hermann—angled so his body remains in the shade, while his face remains in the sunlight—stretches out on the length of the sheet and shuts his eyes. (A quick examination of Newton’s satchel proved he had packed one of the tomes from Hermann’s personal library as well, but Hermann decided a nap, not reading, was far better suited to today.) In the distance, Hermann hears birdsong. Cool, and contented, and with Newton so close by, Hermann admits to himself it really is quite nice.

After a while, Newton tires of the stream and flops down at Hermann’s side with a little grunt. Hermann can feel his sharp breaths against his neck, and a hand—damp, and gritty with sand—untucking his blouse and sliding against his skin; he does not open his eyes. “You’re wet,” Hermann murmurs.

“Am I?” Newton says, low in his ear. His hand creeps higher. His lips find their way to Hermann’s throat.

Hermann swats at him. “Not here,” he warns. “Someone will see. Not—”

Not outside the confines of Hermann’s bed chamber, with the window Hermann keeps unlatched for Newton at all hours should Newton decide to climb up the lattice; the Gottlieb family library, with its inviting hearth and and dark, dark corners and convenient lock for when Newton and Hermann need to discuss research after a meal away from Hermann’s father’s prying eyes. Not outside the seclusion of night, even, beneath the stars, where they may do whatever they please until the pink of dawn breaches the horizon. But Newton does not retreat. His hand settles on Hermann’s sternum.

“Kiss me,” he begs, warm over the shell of Hermann’s ear. “C’mon, Hermann.”

Newton’s face is hovering mere centimeters above Hermann’s own when Hermann finally opens his eyes. He’s freed his hair from the confines of its usual braid, and it tumbles over his shoulders, catching the sparse sunlight. His tongue pokes out between his lips. His glasses hang on the end of his freckled nose. Hermann presses his fingers to the nape of Newton’s neck, his lips curling into an affectionate smile. “Dear boy,” he says. He cannot deny Newton anything.

They kiss languidly in the small patch of sunlight, their hands roaming over the expanses of each other’s skin, under clothing, through hair, until the noise of a twig snapping nearby startles them both; they turn quickly (the fingers of Hermann’s right hand tangled in Newton’s long hair, the fingers of his left pressed to his soft abdomen) to see a doe standing on the opposite bank of the stream. Her wide eyes are fixed on them. She darts away when Newton laughs.

“Scared the hell out of me,” Newton says, and—his heart racing comically fast—Hermann nods in agreement.

Ever restless, ever unable to remain confined to one activity for too long, Newton parts from Hermann’s arms with a last long, lingering kiss and busies himself with plucking wildflowers from the patch of grass to the right of the sheet and winding them into a chain. Hermann props himself up on his elbow to watch. He has not bothered tucking his shirt back into his breeches, nor has he bothered doing his collar up or tightening his cravat; his neck stings from where Newton got bold and nipped at his skin gently at a spot that would not be in any danger of discovery. The overall sensation is one of debauchery. Reckless hedonism. Hermann finds he enjoys it.

“I’m trying to decide if this thing I did is incredibly stupid,” he declares.

Newton glances up from his flower chain and readjusts his eyeglasses. His eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What happened?” he says. “What did you do?”

“Well,” Hermann says. “I fell in love with you.”

Newton laughs again, but Hermann does not miss the blush that stains his cheeks and the tips of his ears, nor the way he fumbles the flower chain and errs on his next knot of a stem. “You old romantic,” he teases. “And it’s very stupid, for the record. I didn’t think you were capable of making such errors in judgement.”

“I suppose it is,” Hermann says, lips twitching up. Then he prods at the chain. “What is that for?”

Newton ties the last stem around the head of the first wildflower, creating a perfect loop. He settles it atop Hermann’s head. It’s a big large, and sags down near Hermann’s eyes, but they smell sweet and Hermann’s mouth goes dry nonetheless at the gesture. “You,” Newton says. He leans in and pecks a kiss at Hermann’s forehead.

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #heheheheheueh..... #Anonymous

[vvitchcrvfttm]

* . ROSS LYNCH,  TRANS MALE,  HE/HIM.  —  looks  like  CYRUS GOODE  is  attending   AURORIA UNIVERSITY  in  auradon.  they're  the  TWENTY-ONE year  old  child  of  THEODORA / THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST ( ADOPTED BY GLINDA ) ,  which  means  they're  from  OZ .  heard  they're  OBSERVANT  &  CHARMING ,  but  can  also  be  INSECURE  &  LONELY  ;  we  all  have  our  bad  days.  people  normally  associate  them  with  BLACK BRIMMED HATS & DIAMOND HEADBANDS , CANDLES LIGHTING BY THEMSELVES , BLONDE HAIR WITH DARK & INGROWN ROOTS , BLACK POLISHED FINGERTIPS CLINGING TO A STAR-TIPPED WAND.

                                        ❛  dreams unwind and LOVE’S a state of mind. ❜                                             playlist. pinterest. to listen as you read.    

yeah I cracked. I saw ‘oz’ n immediately had 2 bring my og witch child... this oc i’ve had for like, three years?? and he’s changed so much over my course of writing him bUT doing that is literally so !! fun n I’mm so excited to introduce him 2 u guys. please proceed w/ caution however bc the following contains trigger warnings for toxic relationships , manipulation , depression , and mentions of drug / alcohol / cigarette use. none I dive deeply into , but pls be cautious !!

HISTORY

He’s conceived as a product of an affair between the Witch and the Wizard - as of course , the story does start out when he first arrives in Oz and she , still kind and innocent , falls for a conman’s game. But the events that follow after spiral so quickly that she doesn’t even know she’s pregnant until everything’s over , and she gives birth in seclusion.

Well , almost seclusion.

The only person there is Glinda.

It’s slated for her crimes against Oz that she be sent to the Isle - and Glinda knows for multiple reasons that sending her child with her to the Isle of the Lost will be a horrible idea.

1.) The Isle is essentially a large prison. A child can’t be raised in a prison.

2.) All of the good that Theodora held inside of her , all of the love in her heart , was stolen and taken away from her by her wicked sister. And that’s not Theodora’s fault - but can she give a child love and affection when she’s in such a state ?? Maybe it’s possible , but it’s risky.

3.) If the child is Oscar’s , the child will have to at least have a chance of experiencing life in Oz. Even though , the Wizard has to keep up his facade.

4.) When he settles down from his crying , he looks up at Glinda with innocent , big brown eyes that she finds her heart melting for. He doesn’t sport the same green shade of skin his mother does , but his eyes are Oscar’s and his features are similar to Theodora’s before she turned wicked. And she can’t turn away a face like that.

Glinda selfishly makes the decision to hide away the child and raise him as her own - and Theodora is sent to the Isle , knowing that her baby is in the good witch’s hands and anguishly lamenting for days - until of course , he’s an afterthought.

But the baby does indeed get care from Glinda - too much , in fact. Her child is spoiled - thankfully not rotten , given that a good witch teaches her child to be a good child. And every time he talks to her , she gives him the utmost love and care a mother can give - when he discovers his identity , she’s more than willing to accept him and makes adjustments around Emerald City so everyone else knows to as well. Whenever he’s hurt or sad or sick , she refuses to leave his side so she can comfort him and protect him as much as he needs. Whenever he asks for something , if it’s not out of reason , she can’t say no. He’s spoiled - but not rotten. He’s spoiled sweet. 

But Glinda can’t protect him forever - and she knows she can’t hide his real origin from him forever. He doesn’t know why he’s had such a weird allergy to water since he was little , hence why he bathes with heaps of soap and bath salts so the water becomes a solution that won’t sting. He can’t stay in the ocean for too long since the saltwater’s definitely not pure , but will hurt after a long while. And soon he’ll begin to ask questions - and Glinda prepares herself while Cyrus experiments with other means.

Boys included.

Falling for another Auradonian boy is expected , and Cyrus sees him as the perfect gentleman. But underneath the flattering words and sweet nothings lies an ulterior motive to break into Glinda’s quarters and steal her wand since his parents were followers of Evanora’s - and Glinda killed her. And before it even comes to a breaking point , the relationship grows toxic , growing more and more evident that he’s being used for not only his status in Oz , but also because of his parentage.

It finally ends when he breaks into Glinda’s palace , finding not only the wand but the crucial information that Glinda’s son is not her biological son. And when Cyrus catches him , he firstly tells Cyrus that he’s never loved him ( along with the million things he finds wrong with him that drill into the young man’s self-esteem ) and that his mother - his mother who’s done nothing but love him his entire life - has lied to him. His biological mother is a dirty criminal on the Isle , and Cyrus will probably be just like her when he gets older. 

He’s thwarted , thank Oz ; but there’s enough damage already done. 

Cyrus grows confused and cold - disgusted that he gave his trust away so quickly to someone so VILE , but also wondering how he could easily believe the lies from both that individual and his mother because he doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand. And a heated argument with Glinda - probably the first awful one they’ve ever had - leads Cyrus to running away from the palace for a few days , now feeling like a good portion of his life has been a lie. 

He spends his time wandering around the Emerald City - at least his mother knows he’s safe in the Emerald City , so she keeps her distance. And in the meanwhile , he researches the woman who gave birth to him to a T , reading about how she used to be so kind and sweet but then the Wizard led her to giving her heart away , and she turned wicked soon after . . . 

Her story matches up with his up until the part she turns wicked , so he’s left worrying if that’ll be his fate , as well.

When he returns home , he’s become DISTANT AND ANGRY AND MOODY - while he lets his mother hug him and kiss him and tell him how much he loves her , he’s closed off still and allows himself to fall deeper into a low he can’t seem to get out of. Everything hurts. Everything hurts and nothing seems to make it better so he decides he must have to change in order to stop it. And the only way he can seemingly change is if he takes after the roots he’s only dug up now.

To try and start anew , Glinda proposes they move to Auroria. He finishes prep school and graduates at eighteen , moving onto University ; but the change of scenery means only it’s a different palace and a different area with a bunch of faces that will also probably judge him for being different. He’s always been a quiet loner of a child - and he wants it to end.

So yes , he starts going out more. And in that sense , he starts making himself more social with parties and drinking and smoking and learning to do things his mother can’t imagine. He makes a reputation for himself as a DELINQUENT as he starts to act out , getting into fights with people he disagrees with and even using that magic she taught him for petty vengeance. Also , for business - since he’s growing talented with potions and enchantments.  

While maybe he’s opened back up to his mother , he’s still different. He’s no longer sweet and trusting and his heart is no longer upon his sleeve - instead , there’s a MASK , a mask of cockiness and callousness to hide the fact he still hurts , and he throws himself into discomforting situations to dedicate himself to acting like he’s someone he isn’t. And the more he plays into this , the more he wonders about who he really is , and who the identity of ‘ Cyrus Goode ’ is.

It used to be easy to answer the question , ‘ Are you a good witch or a bad witch ?? ’

Now . . . he’s not so sure. And with now people coming from where his mother lies , he’s wondering if he can figure out that answer. Especially maybe if he can fit in with people . . . like him.

CHARACTER & FACTS

So yES thank u sm for reading that super long backstory !! Again Cyrus is one of my deeply beloved OCs , he’s a rly confused boy trying to figure out who he is while also trying to convince himself he’s someone he isn’t to lessen his pain of being hurt. That being said , lemme be frank - how he is on the outside vs. how he is on the outside are two very different things.

On the OUTSIDE , he’s a cocky loudmouth who probably gets into way more trouble than he needs in. He’s also willing to indulge into more risks considering he thinks it’s going to numb him. A party boy through and through , he’s . . . an acquired taste. He acts careless , like he’s invincible and there’s nothing you can do to break him.

But on the INSIDE , he’s still sad , lonely , scared - but immensely sweet and soft. There’s a part of him that still wants to be himself , to openly trust and love and all - but he doesn’t think that’s an option anymore since he let himself get hurt so easily. But he’s not proud of the person he’s becoming but he doesn’t think . . . he has many options.

Sometimes , though , that mask will crack , and Cyrus will break. Sometimes it’s when he needs a release , and other times it’s unwarranted. He’s so afraid of that happening in front of other people since the fear of being vulnerable is too real , since he’s worried that’ll lead to him being taken advantage of again.

So even if he does have a lot of ‘ friends, ’ not many he’s close with. And while he has a habit of flirting and sleeping around , relationships aren’t his thing - despite the fact he actually WANTS love and validation and affection to a t.

But that isn’t to say his charm is fake - no , not at all. He’s naturally a bit of a charming kid , extremely observant with body language and reading the atmosphere. And he’s pretty good at keeping a conversation , genuinely knowing the right spots to hit as well as how to keep a conversation going on how to end it. It’s what makes people want to keep him around despite the fact he can be fucking annoying at times.

He’s a good kid underneath everything - there’s just a lot of confusion & denial & fear covering it. 

He’s EXTREMELY talented & bright in both magic and art !! He’s fond of painting and sketching and often expresses his true emotions in his artwork - it’s a bit why he’s so hesitant to show him to people.

And magic.... well , Glinda taught him everything he knows. And his own studies made for him to teach himself valuable practices , as well.

He’s a practicing witch religiously , as well. Crystals , sigils , tarot cards , etc. He’s an expert in all of it. He almost ALWAYS has at least one crystal on his person - and a lot of the jewelry he wears is enchanted. 

SPEAKING OF JEWELRY & AESTHETICS ,,,, dude’s fashion sense has changed a bit since he’s tried to embrace more of his inner West Witch but I will say. Both styles are cute.

When he was more in tune with his ‘Good Witch’ side , he wore very nice silver , blue , white etc. vests with glittery patterns over nice white shirts with rolled up sleeves. Yk how Glinda has her crown ?? He had ( and still has ) multiple bejeweled headbands bc frankly they look cute on him. 

Over tIME THOUGH he’s definitely embraced the ‘witch in all black’ thing 100%. Likes the big, floppy black hats and almost always has a black headband to accompany it. Choker necklaces, biker gloves, leather jackets - also his own pair of ruby boots , but they’re not powerful or anything they just look cute. Also almost always has some pair of sunglasses on bc they make a nice accessory even when you’re wearing them on the top of your head and not ur face.

And again - both ways , 100% is always wearing a few crystals and enchanted pieces of jewelry. 

To express himself a bit more he’s also gotten a few tattoos !! Mainly on his arms for now , but there’s one exception since he has a teeny , tiny star on his right cheek. It looks more like a little freckle if you’re not up close - but other than that , it’s stars and stuff along his arms as well as sigils , spells , etc.

He’s definitely not as strained w/ his mom rn since he’s taken a chance to like. Think things over. Since it’s been about 4-5 years since the initial reveal his biological mother is Theodora. While he’s still very confused about . . . everything , he stills takes walks with his mom through her garden and routinely talks to her about stuff. Maybe it’s not super duper close like before , but it’s better than four years ago. 

It takes a lot to earn his trust. Like , a shit ton. If u rly wanna form a close bond with him and earn his trust ur gonna have to work for it bc Cyrus is determined to not let himself get hurt again and that means he’s extremely guarded.

Still has that water allergy : ( But it’s not all liquids it’s just !! Pure / natural water. So the more gunked up the water is with a solute , the less likely it is to make him sizzle.

Also has 100% taught himself how to ride a broom thx to his mother aka ‘SURRENDER DOROTHY’

and also smoke cigarettes out of crushed poppy seeds bc again, gotta stay tru to mother

Again I think I specified this earlier ago bt he’s determined to try and fit in with at least some Isle kids since . . . his mother’s on the Isle. She’s a villain. His mom is Glinda but his mother is Theodora and he wants to be closer to her and he thinks he’s sort of doing so by embracing the Isle kids and wanting to be a part of them.

I still feel like he’s very. Teeter tottery on it since he grew up in Auradon and probably has some meaningful connections there and he doesn’t want to say goodbye to that but also he learns now it’s by a twist of fate he didn’t end up on the Isle and almost wonders if he was meant to.

I’m going very ‘Fire Emblem Fates’ on this idk I just found the idea of an AK adopted when he was supposed to be a VK as. Intriguing.

He’s also dealing w/ like. If his Mom ever decides to like , retire or something ?? Is he the next Good Witch of the South or is he destined to be the next Wicked Witch of the West ??? It’s tough.

Also bc I forgot to mention it already !! He’s panromantic pansexual and 6′3 bc I fckin said so. May or may not have researched height spells to make himself taller.

I also just wanna let u all know if this intro seems v. Serious I promise u Cyrus is a witty memefucker and not in a Luke ‘deadpan snarker’ way he’s just. Loudmouthed n uncensored and makes jokes at every given minute he can bc eVERYONE likes a funny guy.

Again he’s like. A comfort character. This dude means so much to me n I’m so excited to throw him at u guys.  

I wanted 2 list characters that helped inspire who he is today bt. I think I might save that 4 like... a graphic or smth. :^)

WANTED CONNECTIONS & PLOTS 

PLEEEEASE GIVE ME OLD FRIENDS OF HIS IN AURADON THAT KNOW HOW SOFT HE IS INWARDLY

Also friends that r just. Rly shocked by how much he’s changed. and kinda miss how he used to be before he got hurt : (

friends that sorta prefer how he’s changed?? maybe partygoing friends n stuff???

folks who are lowkey ‘wow goode got cool/hot/badass/etc.’ bc it’s definitely a signficant Shift

VKs who are encouraging him to embrace tht side of him more n dig down to his roots !!

AKs who are encouraging him to not have to try n change for that n be how he always was !!

Ppl in general who just rly would like for him to be himself and embrace who he is rather than trying to stick to a single side !!

AKs who see him as kind of like. A traitor 4 wanting to get close with the VKs

VKs who see him as too much of an AK and r basically like ‘idc if ur mother literally coined the term ‘wicked witch’ u can’t sit with us.

Rly I’m just so addicted to this ‘CHOOSE A SIDE’ thing like I generally find that as a plot so. Interesting n I def want all the connections that are sort of impacted by it since Cyrus is discovering so much abt himself

I also wld love some folks in generals he can like... be soft around. Let down his walls around. Slowly they get to know him and take the time and patiently earn his trust even tho he rly is a lot to handle.

Ppl who solely like him for the fact he can do magic bc again haha y’all can deffo use him idm

Ppl who rly dislike him whether it be for the fact he acts like a cocky dick on the outside or they don’t like how he’s trying to change himself and he doesn’t seem authentic at all literally Cyrus can b kind of sucky so pls make ppl dislike him. None of my OCs get along w/ him. Luke maybe dated him for a day n got tired already. 

He’s a lot 2 handle.

Okay he’s kind of a flirt like Luke and even tho he’s not nearly on their self-proclaimed philanderer level he still kinds. Gets around so pls gimme hookups on either end

Old crushes he used to have in Auradon when he was a lil kid, in middle school, high school w/e that never happened for whatever reasons

Also an angsty unrequited crush bc I love pain

Exes that were folks he tried to date in Auradon after he got hurt bt it just. Didn’t work out for w/e reason - probably bc Cyrus is terrified of getting hurt again.

Would also lov that one longterm relationship that lasted for like. A year or so while Cyrus was going through his shit that was probably rly good for him and they though it’d last but he had to break it off out of his own fear : (

First healthy love plot based off of San Francisco by TDE per piacere?

Listen I kno I already have a first love plot wanted for Luke bt this one’s sad for dIFFERENT REASONS 

I’d lov like ?? A will they/won’t they where Cyrus kind of has to open up n’ stuff before they can rly be together and it’s just up in the air even tho there are mUTUAL feelings ?? I wanna explore the relationship part of this tho instead of just. Throwing them into a ship n the next day they’re 2gether. Also would have to b discussed when seeing chemistry between the characters since. Ya.

WLD DEF B OPEN 2 A POLY WILL THEY/WONT THEY TOO

I already cleared thru enemies but again pLS GIVE ME RELATIONSHIPS THAT SHIFT BETWEEN LIKE. FRIENDS TO ENEMIES. EXES TO ENEMIES. ENEMIES TO FRIENDS. BACKSTABBING BITCHES. THAT SHIT. I LOVE IT. GIVE ME THE DRAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Thats it.

me: i kno i just listed the obligatory shippy stuff but i want to remind u again i love it when other characters hate mine

I love just exploring. Connections and relationships between characters in general whether they’re hostile, platonic, romantic, etc. like I love exploring that stuff like I’m here 4 everything.

ibh sometimes i worry abt posting shippy connections just bc i dont wanna give the impression thATS ALL I WANT even tho i think i listed more non-shippy connections than shippy

...i still worry.

bt yeah licherally give me anything. I’m a plot hoe even tho I suck at it.

#usoa:intro #abt tag tbd #i think like. 3/4 of my ocs are attending auroria so yes i lack variety. #bt hey at lEAST I TOOK UP ANOTHER AK #...TECHNICALLY #hannah montana said u get the best of both worlds #i think this is. easily my longest intro tho. #he just means a lot 2 me. #the fire emblem & zelda influence is so strong here tho #toxic relationship tw #manipulation tw #depression tw #alcohol mention #drug mention #smoking mention

[georgevilliers]

Tessa Virtue

Life Path: 22

Birth Day Number: 17

First Period Cycle: 5

First Pinnacle Cycle: 4

Challenges: 3, 1, 2, 4

Destiny/Expression: 7

Soul Urge/Heart Desire: 7

Personality: 9

Hidden Passion: 1

Karmic Lessons: 7 and 8

Balance: 2

Life Path 22: The Master Builder

Life Path 22 is what we call a Master Life Path. It is a powerful combination of life paths 4 and 11 and therefore can cause a lot of confusion but harness a lot of potential. They have an an uncanny spiritual connection and can apply metaphysical knowledge to daily life. Their intuitive nature can find the very best, or the very worst, in every person. They feel an innate connection to the stars and often find themselves getting lost while stargazing. We all know we come from star stuff, but they feel it more intensely than the rest of us. 22′s fear failure, as the burden of potential they bear is large, and they require a lot of support from the people in their life. They are not just the dreamers of dreams, they are facilitators of greatness. They have the intuitive insights of life path 11, combined with the practical nature of life path 4. Their thoughts hold incredible power, and likely always come true. Success of the 22′s can be delicate as it exists by the virtue of their dreams and visions. They can be romantic, but often times impersonal. They are often more focused on their dreams. 22 can be seen as the most promising number, they have great ambition, are a great supporter and steady partner in relationships, and offer sound advice and emotional support.  They are practical, do not suffer from flights of fancy, and while they can be unconventional in thoughts and actions they are good at translating that to appear traditional.  22′s are excellent leaders. They have the vision, the intuition, the business and political sense, and common sense, in order to accomplish their larger than life dreams and ambitions. In alignment, a 22 is dependable, stable, productive, loyal, trustworthy, and hardworking. Out of alignment, they can be rigid, bossy, blunt, fearful of taking risks, unorganized, careless, think too small, and overwhelmed.

Crystals: clear quartz, green tourmaline

Planet: Pluto

Zodiac: Scorpio

Tarot Card: The Fool

Key Meditation Words: attainment, integration, prosperity, completeness, peace, limitless potential

Birth Day: 17

17′s are highly ambitious, blessed with business and financial instincts. Their approach to business is creative and daring. They are highly independent, and an excellent manager and organizer. They are highly gifted in their ability to see the larger picture, and how small details come into play. This makes them highly effective at handling large projects.

First Period Cycle: 5

A 5′s first period cycle involves a lot of change, freedom, and travel. They have a flair for successfully promoting themselves. They will visit many foreign places and encounter many new ideas and people. Seek change and take ahold of new opportunities. 

First Pinnacle Cycle: 4

This pinnacle cycle consists of hard work and many rewards. They have the opportunity to build a strong foundation that will last. They are dependable and reliable. 

Challenges: 3, 1, 2, 4

First challenge 3: They are their own worst critic. They suppress their individuality and creativity because of self-doubt. They are far harder on themselves than anyone else in their life is, so they tend to play it safe by not expressing deep emotions and indulging in superficialities. They can feel lonely, and fear social interaction. They should seek out a creative output, like drawing, dance, singing etc. The crux of this challenge is to bring out the true self. They must learn to value their creative talents above judgement of others, and undergo a process of individuation. 

Second challenge 1: They must learn to be independent. They will be forced to stand up for themselves and their rights, and face situations in which they will have to choose between doing what is right, and doing something to please someone else. They will learn to be firm and trust their judgement, not to run with the crowd but be an individual. They will experience much trial and error, and can sometimes include bursts of anger, or suppressed anger and emotion until they are acting on their deepest instincts. They will learn their own set of values, and develop individual and original ideas. Because Tessa has a Hidden Passion of 1, this challenge will not be a difficult one for her.

Third, main, challenge 2: They are overly sensitive and too aware of others’ expectations. They can suppress themselves to avoid being too conspicuous,and too self-conscious. Hypersensitivity can cause fear, timidity, and lack of self-confidence. Little things can become disproportionately difficult to overcome and can be paralyzing, jealousy can cause pain and misunderstanding. These things stem from positive parts of their life path, such as awareness and intuition, but have become twisted into overwhelming negatives.

Fourth challenge 4: This challenge is all about learning to organize and prioritize, be persistent and persevere. Because Tessa has mainly odd numbers, this might be a hard lesson to learn (but perhaps she has already done so)

Destiny/Expression 7

Spiritual, intelligent, analytical, focused, introspective, studious, intuitive, knowledgeable, contemplative, serious, persevering, refined, gracious. They are driven by a desire for knowledge and truth, and possess a considerable amount of perspective. They need time to be by themselves, too much social interaction can cause stress and they need privacy. They tend to dislike mundane things, and can be judgemental towards others and their lack of depth of knowledge. This can lead to them being cut off from society. It would be better for them to spend their time in an educating role, by spreading their love of knowledge. They are perfectionists, and can be distant and aloof.  

Soul Urge/Heart Desire 7

They love knowledge and insight. They value the gifts of their mind, and abhor shallow opinions and judgements. They have a natural gift for analysis and research, and once they have grasped the basics of a topic, have no problem diving deep into the issue and thinking theoretically or philosophically about it. They can be introverted, and a life of a hermit or monk engaged in a life of study appeals. In relationships, they may prefer things impersonal. They prefer facts over feelings and may distrust their own and others’ emotions. The unpredictability of the heart can surprise or frighten them and their rationality. They do crave love, and it takes a lot of trust for them to be able to trust someone with their heart. Resisting the urge to become a hermit, and instead embracing society and sharing their gift of knowledge can be a much more fulfilling life.

Personality 9

9′s have an impressive and almost aristocratic bearing. They are very much in control of the image they send out. Many actors, dancers, and other performers have 9 personalities. They are much admired, but also can be hated as they may be perceived as arrogant. A great struggle of the 9 type personality is being able to bring themselves down to earth and relate to everyone on a personal basis. 9′s have great compassion and sympathy for others, but may be better at working on a grand scale rather than a one-on-one basis. They have excellent taste, a good deal of artistic talent that shows in their homes and clothing.

Hidden Passion 1

Their hidden passion is that they want to stand out! They have a great drive and desire to accomplish. They are highly competitive and want to be the best and the first in anything they do. Highly energetic, creative, capable of influencing and even dominating others. Can succumb to manipulation unless their ideals are high. May have struggled with a lack of confidence especially at a young age, but they have the strength to overcome this. They are survivors, warriors, leaders, and often times politicians or athletes (!!!!)

Karmic Lessons 7 and 8

7: Learn not to take things at face value. A superficial understanding of important matters will prevent them from experiencing the satisfaction of their true potential. The presence of other 7s in Tessa’s core numbers means this lesson will be easy to learn.

8: They are highly independent and do not want to be told how to do things. They might have a know-it-all attitude and can be stubborn therefore they can run into issues with authority figures. This can prevent them from knowing their limits, and while they likely will attract lots of money, they may spend too much of it as well. Learn limitations, and be efficient. 

Balance 2

Use tact and diplomacy over emotion. Be courageous in the search to a solution rather than backing away over fear of confrontation. Work hard to diffuse tension, and find a solution that satisfies everyone. Be willing to compromise. 

Scott Moir

Life Path: 9

Birth Day Number: 2

Second Period Cycle: 2

Second Pinnacle Cycle: 9

Challenge Numbers: 7, 4, 3, 1

Destiny/Expression: 3

Soul Urge/Heart Desire: 4

Personality: 8

Hidden Passion: 9

Karmic Lessons: 5 and 8

Balance Number: 3

Life Path 9: The Humanitarian

9′s are helpful, compassionate, charitable, generous, humanitarian, cooperative, creative, self-sufficient, proud, self-sacrificing. 9′s can often be open and honest to a fault. There is no doubting that a 9 will give you an honest opinion, and it may be a tough pill to swallow but the 9′s must be listened to. They usually speak from a place of experience. 9′s are determined to leave this earth better than they got it, and this can be confusing to a lot of other people, who might be searching for a deeper meaning behind it all. 9′s are coming from a place of love, and are hardly looking for whats in it for themselves. They wear everything on their sleeves. 9′s tend to see the big picture, rather than small details and attract people from all walks of life. They do not accept social biases or prejudices. 9′s are imaginative and creative and enjoy careers that involve some sort of self-sacrifice. They often do not want to accept the shortcomings of the world, of yourself, or others. This can lead to a perpetual dissatisfaction and a constant push towards something better that they often find they can never meet. 9′s often let go of material possessions and relationships as they’ve learned that holding on too tight to anything often causes them pain. If they seek money too fervently, they will come up disappointed and empty handed. The most success, for them, comes from caring and sharing. They can be romantic, but impersonal. They tend to focus more on their dreams. They must be open and accept their shortcomings as well as their strengths in order to establish an equilibrium. Out of alignment, 9′s can be resentful, lacking in integrity, hostile, arrogant, close minded, emotionally unavailable, submissive, or a liar.

Crystals: fire agate, aragonite, blue apatite, blue chalcedony, fluorite, hematite, malachite, pietersite, rhodonite, unakite

Planet: Sun

Zodiac: Virgo (also his sign!)

Tarot: The Hermit

Birth Day Number 2

They are sensitive, intuitive, and diplomatic. They are aware of their surroundings, and are easily influenced by it. They love beauty and attention, and can easily fall victim to depression or lack of confidence. Their talents lie in personal relations and diplomatic skills. They also usually possess talents in artistic and creative endeavours. They are warm, affectionate and like to hug and cuddle, and be made to feel safe and secure. They are cooperative and work well in partnerships. They are good at continuing projects and have great attention to detail. They require harmonious work environments, without it they may become too stressed and high strung. 

 Second Period Cycle 2

The middle part of their life is about learning to tune in to the sensitive and intuitive side. They are drawn to interact with people on a personal level, and are able to recognize how others are feeling and be more tactful. Emotions play a large part of period two. Devoting time to the performing arts is an especially good idea.

Second Pinnacle Cycle 9

This is a good time for financial growth and progress. They will also face a large challenge which they must give themselves to completely. They will find reward in drama and art, and have a heightened sense of aesthetic and any artistic abilities will be brought to the surface and enhanced. 

Challenges 7, 4, 3, 1

First challenge 7: They are highly skeptical of anything that can not be proven to them. Very doubtful of anything to do with spiritual matters. They must learn faith, and to find a community which provides interesting and fresh perspectives. They may have too much pride, and will experience a deep and humbling transformation.

Second challenge 4: This challenge is all about learning to organize and prioritize, be persistent and persevere. Because Scott has more even numbers this will be an easier lesson for him to learn.

Third, main, challenge 3:  They are their own worst critic. They suppress their individuality and creativity because of self-doubt. They are far harder on themselves than anyone else in their life is, so they tend to play it safe by not expressing deep emotions and indulging in superficialities. They can feel lonely, and fear social interaction. They should seek out a creative output, like drawing, dance, singing etc. The crux of this challenge is to bring out the true self. They must learn to value their creative talents above judgement of others, and undergo a process of individuation. 

Fourth challenge 1:  They must learn to be independent. They will be forced to stand up for themselves and their rights, and face situations in which they will have to choose between doing what is right, and doing something to please someone else. They will learn to be firm and trust their judgement, not to run with the crowd but be an individual. They will experience much trial and error, and can sometimes include bursts of anger, or suppressed anger and emotion until they are acting on their deepest instincts. They will learn their own set of values, and develop individual and original ideas.

(interesting they both have similar challenge numbers, especially number 3 which they’ve both extensively mentioned their self-critical nature)

Destiny/Expression Number 3

3 is the number of self-expression. They are rich in imagination and spirit, but must be careful to not scatter themselves. They can lack discipline, and hard work and focus will be the keys to their success. They possess great verbal skills, but tend to think in pictures rather than words. Love, romance, and money are definitely within reach. They are social, they need an audience and the support of others to fully realize their abilities. On the downside they can be superficial, moody, sensitive, and emotional. They can perceive criticism where there was none. These traits can suppress creativity and it’s better to be goal-oriented 

Soul Urge/Heart Desire 4

They like to live a stable and well-organized life. They can establish and maintain a routine, and they strive to be dependable and a rock of strength for others. Work is central to their life and they may have a tendency to go overboard, and they should avoid being a workaholic. They are great in family situations and make good parents, but must learn to be flexible. They need and want much love, and are honest and unpretentious. They hate liars and affectations. 

Personality 8

They appear strong and powerful, have impressive personalities, and can influence and even intimidate easily. They have natural authority and people are attracted to their competence and enthusiasm. They radiate confidence. Most 8′s have a strong constitution, but can suffer from indigestion, ulcers, and even heart disease due to reckless eating, drinking, and propensity to be workaholics. Their egocentric attitude can be a downfall, and this can cause loneliness and ruthlessness. They can be spontaneous, excited, warm, and jovial. Deep down, they want everyone to be as happy and as excited as they are. Those around them often sense it, and they are well liked by coworkers.

(This feels bizarrely accurate)

Hidden Passion 9

Warm, generous, and compassionate. 9′s are often creatively inclined but it may not come out until adulthood because it was repressed as a child. They have a strong desire for insight and knowledge. They are emotional even though their feelings are not always sensible. They can get caught up in dreams. Blessed with oratorical abilities. They are driven to do their own thing and are very independent. 

Karmic Lessons 5 and 8

5: They need to be more adventurous. Overcome fear of living. Take every opportunity that is presented especially to travel, to meet new people, to experience new things. Broaden horizons. Go with the flow, adapt to changes, and grow from them. 

8: They are highly independent and do not want to be told how to do things. They might have a know-it-all attitude and can be stubborn therefore they can run into issues with authority figures. This can prevent them from knowing their limits, and while they likely will attract lots of money, they may spend too much of it as well. Learn limitations, and be efficient. 

Balance Number 3

Be more lighthearted and optimistic in approaches to problems. Work with others to reach and mutually satisfactory solution. Use natural charm to influence a situation. Try to control tendency to be overly emotional. Be objective. 

#numerology #tessa virtue #scott moir #celeb numerology #my post #maybe this will be like #a thing that I do? #idk #i just know people on this website #they love astrology too much #and not enough people fuck with numerology #thats where i come in #anyways who should i do next #my apologies for the longass post #i hope wherever you're experiencing this #it came with a read more link bc i suck at formatting

[maccymacdonald]

A Study in Sunny

When asking how much of an impact television shows have and why they are so important to us, I’m sure the latter is a question that’s lingered in the minds of many parents concerned with their child’s obsessions with various things, whether that be bands, actors, sports stars or TV shows. I know I for one have endured the embarrassment of my dad bringing up my new hyper fixation at family dinners or my friends roasting me for whatever new poster I’ve just bought. Even before I planned on writing this article, I think I’ve always known my short-lived obsessions or long time loves have always been deeper than superficiality. (Maybe my High School Musical phase can be excluded from that, though).

I think there’s a lot more to what we watch that makes us cling so hard to our shows, and that they genuinely have a huge influence and emotional impact on our lives. A few people I’ve talked to or seen online think that my generation’s attachment to fiction universes is a bad thing, which to an extent I can understand. However, at the risk of sounding dramatic,  I truly believe TV shows have unimaginable impacts on us.

Whether that’s simply making us laugh until our sides hurt or allowing us a brief distraction from our messy lives there’s so much that shows offer us than just entertainment. Whether you find solace in living vicariously through your favourite character or simply enjoy being able to relate to a situation close to your heart, why should it matter what others think? How could we not hyper-fixate on something that to some extent reflects who you are and what you find compelling about life? And really, who’s to say that doing so is detrimental when to some, a show could be their only outlet to express themselves? I don’t know about you, but I can’t see anything wrong with that at all.

While its all well and good me saying all this, I thought I needed proof. I want to prove that TV shows touch people in many different ways and have the ability to improve lives, and that to many, tv shows mean so much more than what they are on the surface. The only way I was going to prove it, however, is with evidence. So I did a little research.

One of my favourite TV shows of all time is It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Rated 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s millions of committed fans and numerous awards make it one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. It’s extremely dark and controversial humour torpedoes taboo topics in the most hilarious and ridiculous scenarios, yet remains subtly brilliant in the way it presents itself and it’s characters. If you haven’t seen it, (in which case the rest of this post will probably make no sense and I’d advise you to binge it, right now), the show centres around five terrible friends who run an equally terrible bar in downtown Philadelphia.

I decided to run a survey about how Always Sunny has affected its fans. I chose this show in particular because each character is so complex and profound in their own right I can see how easy it is for many people to connect with them on such personal levels.

I think the thing I found funniest when starting this show is that the characters are seemingly just really bad people. Every member of the gang has been arrested for something, they’re all alcoholics, they’re constantly thinking of new get-rich-quick schemes and regularly ruin other people’s lives without a second thought. In a most extreme example, my brother can’t even watch the show simply because he genuinely hates the characters (which all in all, is fair enough.) However, I believe beneath the surface of the arguments and violence there’s a depth to every character that you don’t always see in light-hearted comedies.

“They are the most elaborate, multi-dimensional, complicated and most well-written characters in any show ever, especially comedy.”

The characters are all very different. While Dennis is constantly harassing women and plotting against his family, he’s also extremely insecure and vulnerable. He was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in season ten, which leads to him often being shown to struggle with his emotions and ability to feel. He’s an incredibly complex character who I think is often just overlooked as the psychotic angry man, which isn’t true at all.

His sister Dee entertains the more slapstick and needy version of her brother. She too is very easily agitated and has no patience, as well as she’s always desperate for validation (where most of her humour stems from). Because of this, she is immensely guarded of her emotions, also due to the perpetual verbal abuse she’s endured from her family her entire life.

“I can relate to her past with being bullied, and her constant need for affection and to be told that she is good.”

Mac, on the other hand, wears his heart on his sleeve. His development of starting the show as a heavily religious closeted gay man to openly out and proud over 12 years was really inspiring to watch, and his father issues and struggles with acceptance is what makes him one of the most engaging and interesting characters.

His best friend Charlie is also fascinating. On the surface, he is a substance abuser and alcoholic, unhygienic, illiterate, and highly unpredictable. But beyond that, he is very loving and supportive (most of this time).  He adores Frank and is usually happy to do anything for his friends. As a sexual abuse survivor, he is such an important character because it’s clear especially in the later seasons that he truly loves and believes in himself, and regardless of how others see him he never attempts to change who he is. Not only that, but many fans believe he’s autistic meaning his character is not only lovable but awesome representation.

A few months ago I launched a survey that 206 wonderful people responded to. Even though I’m involved with the Always Sunny community every day through social media, it really helped me get an understanding of the bigger picture, rather than just memes and discourse (although I wouldn’t change the Sunny Tumblr fandom for the world). So before I dive in I want to thank everybody that took the time to respond to the survey or talk to me privately, as you’ve helped everyone that reads this gain more of an insight into It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and it’s amazing fanbase, which I appreciate tremendously.

(And before I start, the overwhelming majority classed themselves as being obsessed with the show, and almost 100% have dedicated some form of social media to it, so you know these results are the real deal.)

While many people, like I do, watch the show on their own, over half watch it with friends and 49% say watching the show helps them bond with someone. I thought this was quite interesting because whether it’s your friends, parents, siblings or anyone else, if a show brings people together it really can only be a good thing, especially a comedy show.

I think a lot of people don’t realise how important tv shows are to relationships. I once knew someone who told me the only time they ever spent with their father was when they watched their favourite programme together. This shows how powerful tv shows are – to some, they’re vital for bonding and spending time with someone you love. They allow you the opportunity to do something fun which inspires conversation and communication, things not always easy to achieve.

While this is really important, there are three main things that stood out in this survey as the most relatable and helpful to fans. Charlie’s autism, Mac’s sexuality, and Dennis’s BPD. After reading the results it became obvious that so many people relate really strongly to these characters, each one holding something personal to every different person who watches the show.

“I really like Charlie because he very accurately portrays a dyslexic person and I think that’s really great. I also really like Mac because I can relate to him being very closeted so his progression to acceptance of himself was really nice to see for me, so his storyline, as problematic as it may be, I do find to be very realistic and relatable. I can also relate to Dennis in a really dark way, with the borderline personality disorder, so he also has a special place in my heart.”

Predictably, ‘Who is your favourite character?’ is one of the questions I asked, and this is what came back.

Charlie had the most votes with 58%, while Mac wasn’t far behind with 53%.

(And whoever gave a notable mention to special agent Jack Bauer and Poppins the invincible dog, I love you.)

As you can see, Charlie and Mac are the clear favourites. ‘Wild Card’ Charlie has attained number one though and has been a fan favourite for a long time. While there are hundreds of reasons to love him (he’s my favourite too), I think most people just see him as the funniest character. (Which is completely justified). However, apart from his humour, which obviously a lot of viewers adore, there are many other reasons fans love Charlie Kelly and the other characters so much.

Something I found interesting was quite a few responses mentioned Charlie’s autism. While it’s never been explicitly stated in the show that autism is definitely a condition he has, it’s something many fans have speculated about. It’s pretty much confirmed Charlie is autistic due to certain things he does or certain personality traits he has, explained brilliantly by Reddit user carrionkid in this post.

“I really like how his character is almost certainly autistic. It helps me realize that it’s not something that I should be ashamed of, and I also really like the way he’s played and written in general, and his musical talent! I find a lot of comfort in the ways he’s similar to me. I relate so strongly to that feeling of being left out and trying really hard to make your friends like you.”

Charlie is obviously a character that some fans have a deep connection to. Autism isn’t often portrayed well or accurately on-screen, and well-developed characters like Abed Nadir in Community and JJ Jones in Skins are very rare. Frankly, representation of various mental conditions is majorly lacking in the film and television world. So to see someone as complex and engaging as Charlie Kelly is really refreshing and important in the progression of television.

“I find Charlies’s autism symptoms make me feel more comfortable and accepting of myself as I might not be otherwise, due to past experiences with people telling me that I am not autistic despite my diagnosis (even though these comments were motivated by bigotry towards minorities I fit into I still find it hard to ignore them).”

Characters like Charlie show how much of an impact TV shows can have. Being able to relate to a character is a really big deal – finding something like a show that seems so unimportant, yet turns out to be something genuinely helpful in accepting who you are and being less lonely is really special. I think the personal connections between characters and viewers are underrated. At a certain point, they stop being characters, and you see them as yourself. Albeit a more exaggerated, problematic version of yourself, I suppose.

Probably the biggest thing that a huge amount of people responded to is Mac’s sexuality, and his troubles with learning to accept and love himself as an extremely religious gay man.

“Mac became a favourite [of mine] since at the time I was very closeted and so was he, and I felt protective of and comforted by him.”

If I’m totally honest, there were times in the first few seasons I really didn’t like Mac, but I think it just took me a while to understand him – Mac is a very dramatic guy, simply because he expresses his emotions so outwardly while the rest of the gang often struggle to. He tries to hold nothing back and is very open with who he loves, and I think this is why it was so heartbreaking to watch him suffer from his internalised homophobia and closeted sexuality.

There were so many people on this survey talking about how much they relate to him. In fact, when asked what kind of things in Alway Sunny has helped people with on a personal level, a third of respondents said Mac’s sexuality, and 38% said the show’s acceptance of their LGBTQ+ characters.

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The writers and creators (Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day who incidentally play the characters of Dennis, Mac and Charlie) confirmed that each member of the gang is bisexual, while Mac himself is homosexual. This kind of representation, even though the topic was addressed off-screen, is still important for diversity and providing safe, inclusive characters for viewers to watch that aren’t harmful to the LGBTQ+ community or at risk of being killed off. In the unfortunate television culture now where LGBTQ+ characters are constantly under threat from the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope, it’s so important to have such a well-developed, funny, human character like Mac around, who is happier than he’s ever been and isn’t going anywhere.

“The pay-off of him finally coming to terms with his sexuality was refreshing in the way that it didn’t become the butt of a joke or change the nature of his character completely.” 

It was really emotional to see people responding to the survey who have grown up in unaccepting, extremely religious families who found solace in witnessing Mac’s journey and finding hope in his coming out arc. It really is wonderful to see how comforting Mac is to people having a hard time and who may not have anyone else to relate to.

“Mac’s character development resonated with me. Even though it was over the top and exaggerated in the show, the extreme Christian life of a closeted gay person and falling in love with your best friend was relatable.”

It’s been a running element of the show for a long time that he’s very much in love with Dennis, and whether their relationship is another case of queerbaiting, a simple gag that won’t actually amount to anything, or the longest slow burn relationship ever, Mac is still awesome representation and an amazing character who embodies many of the struggles and hardships real people face every day. And he’s an example of someone who overcame all of it.

While the gang have earned themselves a reputation for never giving a shit about each other, it’s pretty clear deep down they do all love one another. To see the gang unfazed by and supportive of Mac’s sexuality, (especially given Charlie and Mac have been best friends their entire lives and Charlie tells him he’s always known) is clearly very comforting and inspiring to a lot of viewers afraid of coming out.

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I  recently chatted with awesome Tumblr user Sunnystruck. On her blog she explained the importance of Mac’s storyline way better than I ever could:

Mac’s coming out arc is so unique and personal to me because it’s one of the very rare instances of fictional coming out arcs that doesn’t involve a romance as the transformative catalyst for a character embracing their sexuality or coming out.

Even when everyone else knows and recognizes that Mac is gay, he still has to figure out how to get there on his own terms. It takes him so long, and then to see him love and embrace that decision about himself is so refreshing. He comes out and celebrates his gayness openly and because he spent so fucking long getting to that point and so much time wrestling with it in terms of what it meant for his identity and his image – which again, are completely personal.

It took him a long time to love a part of himself. And that’s truly a kind of representation that gets to me.

Even though I came out to my friends and immediate family I’m still navigating how to embrace that around them and seeing Mac be so gay in some episodes makes me feel so normal. He’s really fucking gay and it shows, and I can relate to that. And he still took his time and that means so much to me especially in an age where straight people claim to have gaydar and say they’re waiting for someone to come out but it’s not their call you know? It’s ours. They don’t dictate our stories, we do. That means something.

Meanwhile, Mac and Charlie aren’t the only ones who struck a chord with viewers. Dennis also got a lot of attention from fans, mostly, I found, because of his borderline personality disorder.

Dennis has always shown signs of extreme mental illness. He is immensely manipulative and cold, often being compared to a rapist and serial killer. While claiming to be completely emotionless (which most of the time, he is), Dennis is prone to extreme bouts of rage. While these moments are funny to watch, Dennis’ behaviour has always signalled to something more serious, and in season 10 he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

“I relate the most to Dennis because before getting treatment for DID and BPD I was very similar to him.”

For those who don’t know, BPD is a disorder of mood and how a person interacts with others. While there are many causes for developing BPD, a prevalent one is traumatic events which occur during childhood. Many people with BPD have experienced parental neglect or physical, sexual or emotional abuse during their childhood. This would make sense for Dennis, as he and Dee often describe the way in which Frank is a terrible and emotionally abusive father. Not only that but in the eleventh season Dennis reveals he had sex with the middle-aged school librarian, Mrs Klinsky, when he was 14. Despite his insistence he wasn’t raped, the experience seems to have been very traumatic and has left obvious scars.  These factors probably contributed to his emotional issues and extensive mental illness.

“I don’t “relate” to Dennis but his trauma and the way it manifests has been really helpful for me in dealing with my own trauma.”

Dennis is an extremely complicated character, who may at first seem impossible to relate to, as his personality and behaviour are extremely complex. Despite this, or maybe because of this, a lot of people relate to him on many different levels. Some respondents said they also have difficulty comprehending social boundaries or emotional relationships. Some said that simply seeing a character be diagnosed with a condition they have is extremely comforting and helpful.

“I relate to Dennis in him having BPD. I didn’t even really know it was a thing until he was diagnosed with it, then I looked into it more to understand it and realized (to my horror, confusion, and ultimate relief) that he had the same thing as me.“

While in some ways I think the portrayal of Dennis’s BPD on the show can sometimes be quite problematic in terms of positive representation, his diagnosis has clearly been very important to a lot of people. This character is evidently very reassuring and solacing, and his effort in getting help and medication (although reluctantly at first) is extremely encouraging and inspiring to those in a similar position.

Okay, so that was a lot of information. Although, before you call me out for wasting time or over-analysing a sitcom, I’m not the only one:

So suck it. But seriously, while I went into probably unnecessary and excessive detail, I did actually have a point.

The point I’ve tried to make here is that TV shows are extremely important. They’re important because of the immense impact they have on their fans.

Hypothetically speaking, TV show creators have a choice to use their influence for good or bad (or worse, indifference). It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia has succeeded in carefully crafting characters which resonate strongly with their audience, and whose storylines and personalities are so well thought out and developed they’ve helped fans cope with a number of issues they’ve struggled to get help for anywhere else.

TV shows do affect us greatly. While the most common examples of this are being heartbroken over your favourite character dying, falling in love with a show so much you make it your life or a show inspiring you to follow a certain career or lifestyle, the responsibility TV shows have for creating a safe and inclusive environment where you can see yourself  being represented is, in my opinion, much more important. From what I’ve seen, countless popular shows just simply aren’t trying hard enough. Shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead have become slightly infamous for their mistreatment or lack of representation of POC and LGBTQ+ characters, and every day a new show emerges that inevitably gets slated for romanticising or glorifying mental illness.

To disagree and say that TV shows don’t have an obligation to be diverse is something I just can’t understand. An audience is never exclusively white, straight, neurotypical individuals, and to assume that they are is absurd. While Always Sunny has a long way to go in its inclusion of POC characters, it’s one of the few shows I’ve seen that present such varied and interesting people who are so easy to fall in love with.

It’s so important to feel represented on-screen, so if anyone in any way can relate to Charlie, Mac, Dennis, or any of the other characters, and become happier because of it, it’s a win. So I believe yes, TV shows are important, and their effect is monumental.

If you managed to make it this far without falling asleep and want to obsess over this dumb show together, follow my Sunny blog!

CREDIT:

Thank you to these people for letting me use your screenshots or taking the time to chat with me! 🙂

phenomenaaa

milksteaksandghouls

god-hole

macdennisd

wjldcard

How much do TV shows really affect us? Why are they so important?

[best-reviews]

Should You Give Hempvana Arrow Posture a Try?

Solution for backaches?

When it comes to finding the best solution for back problems, Hempvana Arrow Posture claims to hold the right answer. We’re talking about a posture corrector that pulls back your shoulders, while wrapped around the torso and shoulders. Either you spend too much time looking down at your phone, or maybe your work requires hours and hours spent in front of the computer, Hempvana Arrow Posture seems to be of great help. Before you make any decision, you should find out more about how this device works and this review might do you a big favor. We’ve gather some expert opinions just to help you better understand its functioning mechanism. Using Hempvana Arrow Posture At a first sight, several customers have stated that it is quite easy to use and they are right. This posture corrector comes as a one-piece device. You just have to wrap it around your torso and let it pull back your shoulders. Hempvana claims to put their customers’ comfort first so they manufactured a device that lets you adjust it as you please. The idea is to make it fit your torso and then pull the harness over your shoulders. As it pulls back your shoulders, that slump that made you buy it in the first place starts to be corrected. Moreover, no matter your measurements, Hempvana Arrow comes in several sizes: S/M: 25” to 36” waistsL/XL: 37” to 58” waists You don’t have to worry because the manufactures have made a product to fit any customer. If we were to keep note of what the Center for Disease Control says, it seems that an average waist size for men over 20 years old is about 40 inches. Also, women aged over 20 have an average waist size of 39 inches. As you’ll read later on, some customers complained that the brace is too tight. What is it made of? When it comes to the fabric used, Hempvana turned to cannabis sativa, which the fabric was infused with. Manufactures aimed to provide their customers with a lighter fabric, and not a natural pain killer, as you might have thought. As a fabric, cannabis sativa is known to mop up moisture so specialists over Hempvana made another version of their product. This one contains a double amount of cannabis. What do experts say about it? Reading through several experts’ feedback, we’ve concluded that there are two main issues with it. On the one hand, Hempvana says that posture problems are quite outspread. Those slumps that you can see with some people are called “text necks”. This comes from looking down so many hours at your phone. On the other hand, experts at Hempvana claim that their product’s only aim is to relief their customers from any back discomfort. Therefore, their posture corrector will greatly help your back, not damage it more. When it comes to the first idea there manufacturers talk about, it seems that “text neck” is a common issue many people are dealing with. Research shows that this condition comes with specific symptoms that are a result of excessive phone usage. Bad posture affects the body The Southern Korean university Daegu University, made a study back in 2016 about this posture problem. Whenever you use your phone or computer, you have this tendency to move your head forward. This creates the perfect environment for posture issues and even breathing problems. Moreover, researchers also mentioned that if you have the habit of using your phone more than four hours each day, things can get worse. The “forward head posture”, abbreviated as FHP, is something very common among people nowadays. The pathological conditions this posture includes are headaches, neck pains, temporomandibular disorders, vertebral body disorders, alternations in the length and strength of soft-tissue, and spasms. The study also talks about how phone users unconsciously bend their neck in order to watch that little screen in front of them. Experts say that this may be exactly what is leading to even more severe problems. And bad news doesn’t end here because there are many other studies done. Those, too, show how well outspread these device-induced posture problems actually are. Other studies prove the same Let’s dive deeper now into some of the experts’ opinions we’ve mentioned earlier. Each of us is entitled to make a personal opinion, but we believe that it significantly helps to hear what professionals have to say. Let’s start with doctor Allen Conrad, who is in charge of the Montgomery County Chiropractic, in Pennsylvania. He believes that Hempvana’s popularity makes a lot of sense if we were to judge by the increasing number of people complaining about back problems related to a bad posture. While doctor Conrad applauds the fact that people are becoming more and more aware of potential solutions to aid their bad postures, Hempvana Arrow does not convince him. He emphasizes the fact that numerous brands are marketing their products as great helpers in making you “sit up straight”, which sounds pretty good. However, from an ergonomic and biomechanical point of view, such devices are not recommended. His arguments boil down to the idea that such posture correctors are only some “band aids” that don’t get to the core of back problems. Any bad posture involves an outlined spine and muscles and these are exactly what a brace is not able to really fix. Doctor Conrad adds that people should better understand what a bad posture really is. He goes further saying that in such a condition, your spine and the muscles near it are out of alignment. It takes much more than just a brace to fix such issues. Is Hempvana Arrow Posture worth your money? If you take a look on their website, you can see several pricing options that the brand has prepared for you: one single posture corrector is $19.99a posture corrector and a container of Hempvana Pain Relief Cream gets to a total of $29.98one single posture corrector containing twice the amount of hemp fibers is $29,98and finally, one posture corrector with hemp fibers plus the pain relief cream jar reaches $49.96. As far as the delivery costs are concerned, these go from $5 to $19.99. Of course, you’ll be required to pay more if you wish to get your products faster. We took a look on Amazon and found that you can purchase it from there for $19.99. moreover, it seems that Prime members get free shipping. A thing or two about the refund policy Whenever you decide to buy a product, it is wise of you to learn as much as possible about the refund policy. It’s not about being too skeptical or something like this, but it is better to know who you are about to deal with. Hempvana Arrow’s refund policy allows you to send back the products, but these have to be in the original condition. Of course, like with any other brand, you need to do the return in maximum 30 days from the shipping date. By doing so, Hempvana will offer you a store credit to use for future purchases on their website. However, keep in mind that you have to send it back in its original condition. What do Hempvana clients have to say? We took a quick look on what people who have used it had to say. For instance, on Amazon, there are more than 40 reviews about this posture corrector. An average rating gets to 3.3 stars. As far as complaints are concerned, people often times stated that fitting is what bothers them most. It seems that the device comes with quite the uncomfortable straps and buckles chafe. These, applied directly on the skin, make Hempvana Arrow Posture pretty hard to wear. This leads, as clients mentioned, to really disturbing skin irritation. Most of them, as they added, appear under the arms and on top of the shoulders, as the brace is too tight. Now, we’re not saying that you should 100% believe them, but if so many people took the time to write their review, this should make you think a little. This is really important for those of you that have a bigger chest or bigger shoulders. If you are one of such individuals, then you should do a detailed research before you decide to spend money on it. It goes to show that even the L/XL size might be uncomfortable. Conclusions After researching and analyzing what other people had to say about it, our verdict is not so much in Hempvana’s favor. While you do feel different as you wear it, the moment you take it off, things seem to go back the way they were. As the doctors we mentioned earlier stated, it is all about getting to the core of the problem. This means that such a brace will never fix your spine and muscle issues, which are the main element to keep in mind when it comes to fixing a bad posture. As we always like to see the glass half full, we could suggest Hempvana Arrow to be added in a well planned routine of exercises to reduce pain which will help you more. From this perspective, the brace could really help. Otherwise, it’s just comforting on a short-term. All in all, there are several good aspects of it. As we mentioned, you could use it in your exercising program. Also, if you need a quick posture improvement for a determined period of time, you could get some real help from Hempvana. However, if you’re considering a long-term option, we think that this posture corrector is not something that could really help you. Even if it’s more expensive, we highly recommend some chiropractic routines that will certainly do an improvement. Read the full article

#aboutHempvanaArrowPosture #Hempvana #HempvanaArrow #HempvanaArrowPosture #HempvanaArrowPosturereview #HempvanaArrowPosturereviews #posturecorrector #Solutionforbackaches #UsingHempvanaArrowPosture

[lauraramargosian]

Ruby Rose: ‘Dreamt Big’ when she felt ‘so small.’

Ruby Rose: ‘Dreamt Big’ when she felt ‘so small.’

“I dreamt of being a famous singer or an actor who, through my work, could inspire others to be themselves or hang in there. I had no idea how I dreamt so big when I felt so small, but I know it got me through each day. I wanted to be the person I couldn’t find in my life.”

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 0910 — Pictured: (l-r) Actress Ruby Rose during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon on August 8, 2018 — (Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC)

Learning about Ruby Rose is quite inspiring, the way she rose to fame to inspiring millions of people through her actions is nothing less than inspiration.

Ruby Rose Langenheim is her full name and Rose was born in Melbourne to Katia Langenheim.

Katia Langenheim was a single mother at the time and Ruby truly describes her mother as a huge inspiration and role model.

She truly is one inspiring mama!

Further, Ruby was able to attend University High School and Footscray City College.

Isn’t it true that college students often change career paths?

It’s amazing how hard Ruby Rose worked her way to the top, from Orange Is the New Black, Pitch Perfect to Batwoman.

The lack of women starring in high-budget films has increased and that alone is inspiring to see, it’s history right in front of our eyes, I mean, she’s making history every single day.

Let’s take a deeper dive into her life, her story truly inspires those who are having a hard time with situations in life.

Facts about Ruby Rose and being gender-neutral.

rubyrose This was fun, beautiful, Inspiring and an honor. @entertainmentweekly 

Pride

Love

Hope

She was the goddaughter of indigenous Australian boxer Lionel Rose and the great-granddaughter of Alec Campbell [the last surviving soldier from the Australian Battle of Gallipoli].

Inspiringly, Ruby came out as a lesbian when she was 12-years-old. In fact, her sexuality was a cause of bullying, including verbal and physical abuse from schoolmates.

Sadly, this even led her to a suicide attempt.

The truth is hard to digest but the world would not be as great as it is without her presence. Many things attributed to Ruby suffering from depression [like many other people in the world].

Of equal importance, Rose opened up about her sexuality growing up, sharing how she was saving money to transition from female to male.

“It was in my mind as something I wanted to do and then I just… didn’t. I guess I grew out of it. I even used to sleep on my front because I didn’t want to get boobs ever, which I think worked actually.”

Ultimately leading her to discover androgyny, which allowed her to model with different gender expressions.

“I remember being at a yum cha restaurant with my dad and the owner coming up and saying, ‘Excuse me, we’re trying to work out if you’re a handsome boy or a beautiful girl.’ It was a compliment and I was shocked, and when I thought about it I actually wanted to be a handsome boy.”

Presently, Ruby Rose is genderfluid, sharing

LOVELOUD 2019: Positive Celebrity review! Oh, the emotions, performance, and survivors!

“I am very gender fluid and feel more like I wake up everyday sort of gender-neutral. I think at this stage I will stay a woman but … who knows. I’m so comfortable right now I feel wonderful about it, but I also fluctuate a lot.”

All that matters is that she is comfortable and inspiring others to feel the same, as well as to be proud of who they are inside and on the outside.

Isn’t it great that her short film “Break Free,” literally opened a whole new world not only for herself but for her viewers, those she truly wanted to inspire with her short?

Buzzfeed shared a great article about her short-film and how it was made to inspire others to “break free,” from gender identities.

“With over 100,000 shares and 80,000 likes on Facebook – the film, written and produced by Rose herself – has a lot of people talking. She posted the project along with this brief description.

“A short film about gender roles, Trans, and what it is like to have an identity that deviates from the status quo.”

Unfortunately, not one soul in the universe can please every person alive. In fact, after the project dropped, the gorgeous model spoke up bluntly on issues of bullying within the LGBTQ community, right on her Facebook page.

“You know what needs to stop just as much as homophobia, bullying within the LGBT Community…

A ‘bisexual’ isn’t just greedy.. ‘Pansexual’ exists and isn’t a cop-out.. ‘Straight’ people can be gay huge advocates and blessings to the community…

You can identify as trans without surgery, you can be gender fluid…

Pride 2019: Daya was not afraid to open up about her sexuality!

in fact, guess what… you can be whoever you are and like whoever you like and WE should spread the love and acceptance we constantly say we don’t receive. I will delete any inter fan/follower bullying.. because it’s so backward and does not belong on my page.”

Lastly, she shared how this is her story [even though there were those who still complained about how she chose to share her story].

“In this film, I am telling my story which involved bandaging my breasts in the ’90s. I had no education on the harm Ace bandages cause as I was just a kid. I do not recommend anyone trying to tape down their breasts to use them.”

6 celebrity LGBTQ trailblazers on growing up, coming out, and living proud in Hollywood

Honestly, to those who have a problem with how Ruby Rose decided to approach her life, her choices, her sexuality, her visions for film and modeling…

Well, they can just take a seat in the back because negativity will never have a positive outcome.

So, in turn, why not leave the world better than you found it?

For instance, why not take a stand and tell your story, it doesn’t have to be the same as Ruby Rose’s “Break Free.”

In fact, it shouldn’t be the same, we all have a different path.

Are you ready for an honest ending?

Ruby freakin’ Rose has likely become the female crush of those who are even straight, I mean, damn, she is hot.

Batwoman: First look at the trailer!

FACEBOOK

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

Laurara Monique is known by various celebrities as the youngest and kindest celebrity blogger. PCG has been described as a "celebrity safe zone."

Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique shared a post.

If you're a 90s kid then you probably remember AshleyTisdale! She's such a positive influence and is always raising awareness and helping those who need it. *Raises hand* I can relate, what about you?

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Positive Celebrity Gossip - Laurara Monique

You learn something new every day. 29-years-old. Haha. #LifeHacks #DidYouKnow #Facts

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"After hearing a quote from criminal minds about all the victims that get lost in the crazy press that surrounds serial killers, I knew that this was something that I really wanted to talk about. For example, even though Ted Bundy came to Utah and lived here, I myself could not name a single victim of his or say anything about them. I researched all 24 victims and found as much personal information about them as I could, and it was so difficult. Every single one of their Google searches brought up more information about their killer than them. I really had to dig, but I found enough to tell as much of their story as I could. The star of this video is their faces and stories, which don’t get shown nearly enough. Amidst all the hype about true crime and serial killers, let's remember them instead of their killer." Music is composed and performed by Sadie Anderson IG @sadieeesings Design by Stauney Segle IG @luckysegledesign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bc9Iw_C108

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Lost | Ted Bundy's forgotten Victims

After hearing a quote from criminal minds about all the victims that get lost in the crazy press that surrounds serial killers, I knew that this was somethin...

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[bearingwater]

April Forecast for Aquarius

Get out and circulate! The Sun is in Aries and your third house of communication until April 19, sparking up your social life. Local action could heat up, so head out and explore the happenings in your ‘hood. You might need to make a conscious effort NOT to overbook, since your calendar will fill quickly and you could exhaust yourself with too much running around. Still, this is a vibrant time to network and mingle, as you’ll easily draw kindred spirits into your orbit.

Fun as flitting about may be, April has its…complications. Five (yes, five) planets will be retrograde (www.astrostyle.com/learn-astrology/retrogrades) this April, a challenging cycle that IS ideal for inspecting and revamping. As the month begins, Venus and Jupiter are already retrograde, to be joined by Saturn, Mercury and Pluto. Retrogrades occur when the Earth and another planet pass each other in their journeys around the Sun, creating the illusion that one of them is moving backward. Since retrogrades govern the past, unfinished business often comes up to be handled, and people we haven’t seen in awhile (if not years) can resurface.

Harmonizer Venus has been retrograde since March 4 in Aries, which may have created a few social speed bumps or lover’s quarrels. It might be a relief that Venus is leaving Aries on April 2, backing into Pisces for the duration of its retrograde, which ends on April 15. Since Pisces rules your second house of work, money and security, there could be conflict with colleagues and clients, or ripples of discord at the office. Your self-confidence might take a small nosedive, so do things to affirm your worth, like treating yourself exquisitely.

We’re not saying a spa pedicure and hot-stone massage are the long-term antidote to insecurities, but pampering yourself can help lift you out of a self-flagellating slump. Just make sure any retail therapy you indulge in has a generous return policy, as aesthetic Venus’ backspin can lead to some major style missteps. Hold off on big-ticket furniture items or pricey wardrobe pieces. Instead, how about doing a closet edit and donating home decor items that no longer suit your tastes? When Venus turns direct on April 15, you can shop to your heart’s content.

Some grander plans might have sputtered a bit, thanks to expansive Jupiter’s retrograde in Libra and your visionary ninth house from February 6 to June 9. The ninth house rules publishing, travel, study and entrepreneurship—big themes for Aquarians ever since Jupiter entered Libra on September 9, 2016. But have things gotten too big too soon? Use this cycle to pause and catch up, making sure you’re not biting off more than you can realistically chew. You might enroll in a short summer extension course to build your skills (like the finer points of social media or Javascript, perhaps) or take a trip back to an old favorite place for inspiration. When Jupiter zooms ahead in June, you’ll have the spotted planet in this lucky zone until October 10, the perfect time for a really ambitious launch.

The one exception to this arrives on April 11, at the year’s only Libra full moon. This could bring an exciting opportunity to put your boldest message in the spotlight. Have you been holding back the truth? The moon will form a tense square to potent Pluto in your twelfth house of hidden information. An unexpected and intense conversation could erupt, and while the atmosphere may get heated, at least you’ll clear the air. Just don’t whip out a laundry list of everything this person did wrong in the past six months. Take some responsibility: If you didn’t tell them you were upset, how could they have known?

As if that weren’t enough to navigate, April brings three new retrograde cycles, starting with structured Saturn. From April 5 to August 25, the tough taskmaster will backspin through Sagittarius, impacting your eleventh house of teamwork and technology. Plans could get mired in red tape and bureaucracy. A collaboration could slow down, or team members might not see eye to eye. Is there a weak link in the chain? With stern Saturn here, you may need to do the hard work of asking someone to leave or of distancing yourself from a draining friend. If too much has fallen on your shoulders, you might step down from leadership and let others pull their weight. Planning an online launch or digital debut? Saturn’s U-turn pushes you to ensure your product is airtight before springing it on the public. Test everything behind the scenes. When your YouTube channel goes viral, you’ll be glad you took the extra time to craft the plan or hire that pro editor.

Speaking of all things digital, from April 9 to May 3, communicator Mercury goes retrograde (www.astrostyle.com/mercury-retrograde), disrupting technology, communication and travel for almost a month. This cycle happens three or four times a year, and it’s notorious for confounding interpersonal matters. Practice radical patience and back up your data and devices stat, before Mercury swoops down and erases your Great American Novel. If possible, delay signing contracts, or at least scrutinize the fine print before you do.

Mercury will be retrograde in Taurus and your domestic fourth house until April 20, which could stir up discord at Chateau Water Bearer. Hold off on any big plans to renovate or oust a roommate (unless you have due cause). Put together a Pinterest mood board of inspired interior design and try to hash things out with the people under your roof. And by all means, declutter your nest, especially if you’ve accumulated too much over the winter. Retrogrades are favorable times for reunions. Reconnect with relatives or important women, since the fourth house rules the ladies in your life. From April 20 to May 3, Mercury backs into Aries and your communication zone, a time to really watch what you say, email and post. All things verbal or written can (and likely will) be misconstrued.

With all this drama is going on in the stars, why not do a deep dive into your own psyche and emotions? If you can’t beat the cosmos, you might as well join ’em! As within, so without—and maybe if you get right inside yourself, your outer world will stabilize accordingly. Transformational Pluto, ruler of the unconscious, goes retrograde in your twelfth house of healing, closure and hidden information from April 20 to September 28. This could be a powerful time to reconnect with your intuition or do some forgiveness work. (Here are a few spiritual tips http://bodhispiritualcenter.org/5-techniques-to-work-on-forgiveness/). You might need to grieve a loss or deal with a mind-body health issue. Explore the link between emotions and wellbeing, since “mysterious” chronic symptoms often signal a deeper issue you haven’t wanted to confront. Pluto retrograde will snap you out of denial, but ultimately, that’s a good thing.

With shadowy Pluto backing through this mystical zone, you might be grieving a loss or having psychic dreams. You could receive healing messages from a departed loved one while you sleep or get undeniable “signs” that guides from the other side are assisting you. Meditation, listening to music, dance—these are just a few ways you can get out of your head and tune in to powerful leads from the universe.

Whew! So much going on, Aquarius. Feel free to hunker down at home and escape from April 19 on, when the Sun makes its annual sojourn through Taurus and your domestic fourth house. The April 26 Taurus new moon could bring exciting news for your personal life: a move, a pregnancy or an opportunity for some nurturing self-care. New moons unfold over a span of six months, so set intentions for your personal life. Where and how would you like to live? Start researching new cities or neighborhoods for a perfect fit. Is there a family relationship that needs healing? Extend the first twig of that olive branch. Someone has to make the first move, and it might as well be you.

Love & Romance

Romance on the rocks? The first couple weeks of this month could be choppy while love planet Venus is retrograde from March 4 to April 15. Venus makes this tricky backspin every 18 months for about six weeks, and it's a good time to reevaluate relationship dynamics and try to iron out any differences. In some cases, couples may go their separate ways; in others, since retrogrades can bring back the past, old lovers might reappear on the scene.

From April 2 to 28, Venus is in Pisces and your second house of security. There could be discord over money: Is one of you footing an unfair share of the dinner tabs or bills? Since the second house also rules self-esteem, you might discover a need to shore yours up before hitting the dating scene again. Take a time-out from Tinder if it’s been chipping away at your self-worth or making you jaded about love. This Aquarius woman’s story of why she took a break from dating apps (http://www.rannysays.com/blog/2016/1/19/why-im-taking-a-break-from-tinder) could give you food for thought. If you’re getting over a breakup, get a shot of meme-fueled confidence from the Brokenhearted Babe Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/brokenheartedbabe/), also curated by an Aquarius.

But don’t plan on wallowing for too long! From April 21 to June 4, lusty Mars marches into Gemini and your fiery fifth house, pumping up the passion. Spring fever cometh! You’ll be turning heads and attracting admirers without even trying. Mars only visits this part of your chart every couple years, so take advantage. Reach for bolder statement pieces and brighter colors when you go out. With the red planet here, there’s no such thing as “too much.” For couples, your mojo gets a spicy spring awakening. Single Aquarians might decide to lift your temporary Tinder ban. But honestly, your infectious joie de vivre is likely to magnetize some passionate prospects in real-time. Why swipe when you can meet on the dance floor or exchange a laugh while you wait for your brunch tables?

Opportunity Days

April 6: Mars-Pluto Trine Whoa! Who knew you felt that strongly about something? Probably not even you. Today, something could trigger you, bringing up powerful emotions that can actually be healing when they see the light of day. For couples, this karmic day might spark a gesture that brings you closer, like meeting each other’s relatives or exchanging keys, or possibly news of a pregnancy. This is a powerful moment for healing, forgiveness and breaking an old family behavior pattern. Single? You may have a soulmate encounter or romantic deja vu. Have you known each other in another lifetime?

April 26: Taurus New Moon A new emotional chapter opens as the new moon awakens a nurturing and sensitive part of you. Family and home are also in the lunar spotlight. A move, pregnancy or lifestyle change could unfold in the coming six months.

Challenge Days

April 20-September 28: Pluto Retrograde Get ready to go into those shadowy places and explore your hidden blind spots. Plumb-the-depths Pluto plunges into reverse motion, putting you intensely in touch with powerful, possibly painful feelings. Consider taking a healing retreat to work through core wounds. If you’ve skipped over the healing process, you may need to go back and deal with it now. You might be especially driven to explore the hidden meanings and mysteries of everything due to Pluto's presence in this spiritual zone. This is also a good time for intensive therapy, especially if you're healing from a childhood trauma. Art, music, dance and any right-brain activity can be especially transporting.

Money & Career

Spread the word, Aquarius! With the Sun in Aries and your communication house until April 19, this is an excellent time for networking, pitching and putting a creative message out there. Don’t hide your smarts, either, as this intellectual cycle is perfect for putting your quirky “geek chic” on full display. We love everything about your fellow Aquarius (and proud bookworm) Emma Roberts’ new website, Belletrist (https://belletrist.com), an online book club that features interviews with authors she loves. Gather kindred spirits through social media and IRL meetups, and see what you can stir up together.

Working from home could be productive this month, as motivated Mars steams through Taurus and your domestic fourth house until April 21. Convert that cluttered corner or spare nook into a productive space. Women figure into your ambitious aims. A powerful and well-connected female could open doors or make an auspicious intro. If you’re thinking of starting a cottage industry, devote some energy to that.

Opportunity Days

April 5-August 25: Saturn Retrograde Press pause or take a sober step back from a group- or tech-related project. You could face a few obstacles to building your dream team or implementing technology.

April 7: Sun-Jupiter Opposition Know-it-all alert! People (yourself included) could be blowing a lot of hot air under this ego-driven cosmic aspect. Don’t believe the hype. While it all sounds exciting and promising, very little of what’s being said can actually be backed up with action or solid evidence. Be careful about getting roped into pointless arguments, both in person and on social media.

April 9: Sun-Pluto Square Read between the lines. Someone may be saying one thing, but their body language and non-verbal cues are telling a very different story. Not every friendly person is a friend. Some are wolves in sheep’s clothing. Don’t be their sacrificial lamb today—keep your wits about you and be careful what you divulge.

April 11: Libra Full Moon It’s a great day to launch a creative idea or to take a bold risk. Express your “out-there” ideas: You might discover that others are eager to get on-board. Travel, publishing, study and public speaking are all on the agenda at this full moon. Just be careful who you bring into this endeavor, as a square from calculating Pluto indicates that a shady person may be hovering on the periphery.

April 14: Sun-Uranus Meetup No filters? The courageous Sun and radical Uranus make it impossible to bite your tongue. But choose your audience wisely. Not everyone is able to digest it all in one bite. While you shouldn’t sugarcoat the truth, you don’t want to turn people off by coming across as volatile or unhinged.

April 17: Sun-Saturn Trine Choose your words carefully, and you could win the attention and support of some well-connected people. If you’re trying to get an initiative or project approved, band together. There’s power in numbers, so show the decision makers that your ideas have clout. Even better? Don’t wait for them to give you “permission.” Form a coalition and make change together.

Challenge Days

April 9-May 3: Mercury Retrograde Uh-oh! Mercury, the ruler of technology, travel and interpersonal affairs, begins its dicey three-week backspin, which could foil efforts in all of these areas. Back up your data to the cloud, explain yourself clearly, and triple-check all plans and reservations. If you’ve been waiting for a green light, you may have to sit on your hands a little longer, but be patient! This is not a favorable time to seal any deals anyway.

Love Days: 28, 5 Money Days: 12, 22 Luck Days: 11, 19 Off Days: 30, 8, 17

#aquarius #monthly forecast #astrology #horoscope #zodiac #aquarius monthly

[benjaminsmith1999]

Opinion Series

Benjamin Smith

English 2010

Fish Burton

Opinion Series

           Opinion 1: “Movies negatively impact people, societies, and cultures”

Well I’m glad that we only need to provide 3 different types of opinions for this assignment, my overall first opinion is that movie genres have the ability to negatively impact individuals lives. But I also agree that genres and movies can positively influence someone to be better, but I will get to that later on. So, my first opinion for this assignment is that movies have the ability to negatively impact cultures, people, and societies. Now I believe that this opinion can be taken many different ways. The first way I would like to take this, is how individuals views change after they have seen a politically influenced movie. I believe that big times movies, with big name actors can sometimes act as a form of propaganda. For example, “The Star Wars Trilogy” is a great example of propaganda, the Star Wars creator George Lucas has even said so, in a statement in 1973 he said, “empire going after a small group of freedom fighters” (1).  So, to an extent this goes to prove a pivotal point, movies and their producers can overreach and step out of bounds and in a way have a negative impact on people. And I’d like to give my opinion on this specific point, I believe that whether or not the individual who puts together this specific propaganda is intending for backlash, he can’t control the actions of those who do decide to go out and act in a negative way. So, in my opinion I believe that when propaganda is presented through media or film, regardless of whoever produced it, that individuals has little to no ability to control what will happen, and sometimes it’s very negative and can cause worse than good. So, in that light I do understand why people have the opinion that movies negatively impact people.

           Now, to the more physical issues that can be caused by movies, studies have shown that someone who spends more than 4 hours a week watching movies or tv shows is less likely to work out or get some physical exercise during that 7-day period. There was another article I read that argued, “People tend to build “fake” relationships” (2) in order to show knowledge to expound on what they have most recently learned in a Tv series or movie. Now as I think about that fact it doesn’t seem to be a big issue, but it could feed to the more serious social issue of Fake people, and if you ask me that is a problem we need to solve, but that’s another topic for another day. But continuing on, some personal experience, I have some friends who are more on the heavier side, and I remember all throughout high school they would spend a majority of their weekends sitting at home watching movies, and snacking. And as you build bad habits like that, they are eventually hard to kick. And aside from the effects that being a couch potato had their hearts and bodies, they were socially isolating themselves from us, even before it was cool thing to do.

           An article I read, covered some of the more dramatic psychological effects that violent films can have on the younger population. The list went as follows,

1.     Imitation of Violence,

2.     Increased Violent Behavior

3.     An Exaggerated Feeling of Insecurity

And lastly…

4.     A Seared Conscious

(3)

As I reflected on those 4 effects that some films can have, I realized that I had been of victim (or beneficiary, depends on how you look at it) of all of those. And obviously those are 4 issues we could all do without; life is already very hard so we could do without those 4. It makes you wonder if some of the societal plagues we have today like depression, or mass violence, or overall numbness to rules or following guidelines could be linked back to violent films or media.

Opinion 2: “Some crowd favorite movies, aren’t real cinema”

           There has been this stigma for a long time now, that superhero movies, and more specifically even marvel movies are not cinema. In my opinion I don’t really think that this is true, but I would like to entertain this thought and continue to dive deeper and see what the argument is to defend this claim.

           In defense of this claim, Martin Scorsese, who has been a constant critic of the legitimacy of these heroic blockbusters that control our societies at times. It has been argued that these superhero movies, are “theme park rides in movie form” (4). Scorsese, the man with the explosive comments, has arguably directed some of the best times, some examples are “Goodfellas”, “The Wolf of Wall Street”, “Gangs of New York”, “Taxi Driver” and many more films. As I reflect and compare these films with the MCU universe, there is an obvious difference between the two. I would say the acting, and story lines found in Scorsese films are some of the best, and that’s the reason why some of his films are regarded as timeless classics, and the hardware to speak for their greatness. But back to what I was saying, I do understand why Scorsese would say what he did, because I feel like the lack of character building and even acting in some places is made up with special effects and CGI. And it makes you wonder, what would the “Superhero” movies be like if they didn’t have the special effects. It’s been argued that this is a generational effect, with Scorsese being 77 years old. But he expressed why he felt this why, and it seems to be a lot more intimate. He said, “In many places around this country and around the world, franchise films are now your primary choice if you want to see something on the big screen” (5).  He continued on to say, “Studios have changed their mindset to just want more movies in that mold instead of taking chances on more intimate films, and that worries me as a film maker who loathes repeating himself” (5).  And when you look at it like that, I have to agree, it almost seems that it’s a leap year when there is a new original film that comes out.

           Another critically acclaimed director came to the support of Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, director of “The Godfather trilogy” called the MCU franchise “despicable”(6), which in my opinion is very aggressive wording, but it makes you think, are they on to something. But at the end of the day, I think it’s hard to say one way or another, it’s based off the viewer, and what their interest are. But luckily in my opinion these marvel/ superhero movies, from what I have observed don’t have much of an effect negatively, if anything it instills hope and excitement in the viewers of those who attend these worldwide blockbusters.

3rd Opinion: “Movies positively impact people’s lives”

           I would say this is arguably the overall opinion of most people, “Movies positively impact people’s lives.” I think about the movies I have viewed in the last 5 months (which has been a lot with quarantine being the new norm) but they have been nothing short of inspiring, exciting, adventurous, and hope instilling. I would have to say, a movie that has brought me to tears in the last two months, was the film, “Just Mercy” which is a true story about the inequality of our justice system in the early 80’s, towards the African American population, here in our country. But I thought about experience, and in my opinion that is part of the human experience to feel different emotions. And I believe that inspirational and moving films can assist us in that specific portion of our life experience.

           In an article that was published a few years back, it put together all the positive impacts that films, and genres have. It gave an expanded list of examples…

1.     “Films can expand our knowledge of history and culture”

2.     “Movies can advertise different positive products”

3.     “They can effect and. Help the economy grow and prosper”

4.     “Perhaps the most influential ways in which films affect society is through giving individual people the opportunity to fantasize and inspire them about who they want to be”

(7)

Researchers have shown that there are many positive effects that films can generate, some of the more physical effects that these movies can have, are

1.     “Comedies, help lower your blood pressure” (8)

2.     “If you don’t have a history of depression or anxiety, sad films can leave you feeling grateful for your loved ones” (8)

3.     “Watching movies can generate emotional release, which can eventually lead to an individual being more open, and willing to speak about their emotions” (9)

Another benefit and positive impact films can have on an individual are taking stories from the past, and the lessons learned and applying them to our own lives.

           “Watching movies can help us make sense of our own lives. For thousands of years, knowledge and wisdom have been passed down through the art of storytelling. Stories offer us different perspectives and help us understand and make sense of the world. And movies are stories.” (9)

So, to this point, it seems to me that the positive impressions that movies leave behind outweigh the negative impacts that are felt. It seems that it can affect almost every stage and aspect of life. Movies boost the economy, they give thousands of people’s jobs, movies inspire and lift up the oppressed, they can affect our mental and physical health in many ways, they show us that there is a better way to live and inspire others. In short, I believe they leave nearly everyone hoping for a better tomorrow, and excited to act in a new way that may cause that day to come sooner. And to me, I believe that is the true reason we are here, to experience life, be inspired, become greater and to create a better tomorrow for us and those who will come after us.

Sources:

1.     https://www.msn.com/en-nz/entertainment/entertainmentmovies/movies-you-probably-didnt-realize-were-propaganda/ss-AAG8tKG#image=7

2.     https://www.language-exchanges.org/writing/how-movies-or-television-influence-peoples-behavior-use-reasons-and-specific-examples\

3.     https://www.thoughtsonlifeandlove.com/negative-effects-of-movies-on-children/

4.     https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/scorsese-marvel-movies-vs-cinema-debate-1202183984/

5.     https://www.vox.com/2019/11/8/20950451/martin-scorsese-marvel-movies-cinema-feige

6.     https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/21/francis-ford-coppola-scorsese-was-being-kind-marvel-movies-are-despicable

7.     https://www.ourmovielife.com/2017/01/15/how-do-movies-affect-society/

8.     https://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/5-scientific-ways-watching-movies-effects-you.php

9.     https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-watching-movies-can-benefit-our-mental-health/